Doctor Anisa Baghazal during the anti-drug abuse forum in Mombasa. [Photo/ Maxwell]Methadone treatment program critical in curbing drug abuse.
The methadone treatment program to drug users in Mombasa has been cited as a major critical tool in curbing the menace among locals in the county.
In a health stakeholders forum which brought together health specialist and anti-drug abuse lobby from the Coast region, the Country government health department said that the program was noble and should be expanded.
Speaking in the forum on Saturday, the county health officer in charge of the drug abuse treatment program Doctor Anisa Baghazal said that the two-year-old program was successful but need more efforts and expansion so that it can reach the over 25, drug users in the county.
“We are now heading to the third year of the program we need to review and employ ways of recruiting more users and stakeholders in a bid to contain this menace” added Dr. Anisa.
She said that the county has already launched a program where anti-drug abuse lobby ‘Reachout Centre trust and MEWA rehabilitation centre together with county community health workers were moving to various drug dens in the county to recruit drug user to methadone treatment.
“Since most of these users remain in the drug dens then we should follow them right is such places administer methadone treatment to them and ensure we follow up,” she said.
Doctor Anisa also noted that most of the drug users were suffering from tuberculosis and needed treatment and close monitoring as well.
She said that by administering methadone to the users we will also be providing counseling and TB treatment as well, with this we expect the numbers to reduce.
On her part, the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime-UNODC Doctor Saade Abdallah commended the efforts from anti-drug abuse lobby and the Mombasa county government in treatment and counseling drug users in Mombasa County.