Ministry of Health has decided to train drug rehabilitation teams in all islands of the Maldives.
Speaking at a programme aired on PSM News, Deputy Minister of Health Shamau Shareef said the ministry has undertaken several efforts to reform the National Drug Agency (NDA), since the ministry took over the agency two months ago. As such, the deputy minister revealed the ministry has brought 212 amendments to the operations of NDA, most of which are related to the administrative structure of the agency. He added a situational analysis has been conducted through the World Health Organisation (WHO), which is the basis of the new measures that are being implemented to address the issue of drug addiction in the Maldives.
Speaking at the programme, Deputy Minister of Health Safiyya Mohamed Saeed said the ministry has decided to train a 3-member team from each island for drug rehabilitation, which will be carried out in collaboration with the respective atoll hospitals and health centres. The deputy minister revealed the team will consist of a community health officer, a mental health nurse and a medical officer, who will be working together to complete the rehabilitation process of addicts. She added the team will also be trained to identify people at risk of being exposed to addiction, and prevent such situations.
The deputy minister revealed preparations are underway to train the drug rehabilitation team under the Training Of Trainers (TOT) model. She said the training is expected to begin this year.
Drug addiction is a prominent issue in the Maldives. The health ministry states the projects carried out under its long-term action plan for drug addiction will yield positive results in the coming years.