An exhibition organised by the Ministry of Interior to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the Landmark Mall, yesterday.
By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: A special centre to treat and rehabilitate people addicted to drugs and alcohol is to be opened by the Supreme Council of Health this week.
The centre would initially open temporally in Muaither with 28 beds and only Qataris will be admitted.
Later it will be made permanent to accommodate 125 people, said the Director of Nursing of the centre (Maan), Mohammad Saidi.
He was speaking on the sidelines of an exhibition organised by the Ministry of Interior to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the Landmark Mall.
‘Maan’ meaning together in Arabic would aim to detect, rehabilitate and provide after-care therapy to people addicted to all types of drugs and alcohol.
“Initially only Qataris will be admitted and others would be treated as outpatients,” said Saidi.
“Patients will be admitted through a referral system involving all healthcare facilities,” he added.
The Supreme Council of Health recently said that five percent of Qatar’s population, aged 18-60 years, are addicted to alcohol or drugs.
‘Maan’ aims to treat and rehabilitate addicts from the age of 15 years.
A separate centre for women with six beds would be opened within a year, said Saidi.
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking will be observed tomorrow under the theme ‘Make health your ‘new high’ in life.’
The week-long exhibition at the Landmark Mall is hosting 14 organisations which work on drug prevention and rehabilitation.
All organisations at the exhibition will educate people on drug prevention and raise awareness about the dangers of drugs.
“Although use of drug is not very common among the people in Qatar, we are hosting this exhibition to educate people as a step towards prevention,” said Major Ibrahim Mohamed Al Semaih, Secretary of the standing committee on drugs.
He added that Qatar is keen to join the international community’s efforts against drug abuse and support all efforts being made at regional and international levels to address drug-related offences.
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking serves as a reminder of the need to combat problems posed by drugs.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime leads the annual world drug campaign to drive home the message that illicit drugs pose a danger to society, aims to mobilise public support and seeks to inspire people to act against drug abuse.
The Peninsula
