JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Friendly rehab for Ho Chi Minh City drug addicts

Friendly rehab for Ho Chi Minh City drug addicts

Tuesday, May 10, 2016, 11:42 GMT+7

Ho Chi Minh City has been establishing a friendly rehabilitation environment for local drug addicts, providing them with easy access to treatment and psychological assistance during their recovery.

Drug users in Vietnam were previously treated as criminals, resulting in addicts shying away from getting help and recovery at local rehabilitation centers.

Efforts have been made to give a new perspective to the problem, changing the perception toward drug addicts as patients who need treatment, in the hope that this will encourage users to approach the facilities for help.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters have documented the working day of Le Van Ho, an officer at a rehabilitation center in Ward 8, District 4 and got some insights into the recovery process.

At 8:00 am, Ho drives his car to the house of Pham Duc Minh, a 23-year-old drug addict, and carries him to the rehabilitation center in the southern province of Dong Nai.

“Minh has lived a harsh life. He got married at an early age and has a young daughter. His father died in July last year while his mother is also aging,” the officer said.

Minh began using drugs with his friends in late 2013 and has been unable to receive rehabilitation at local centers due to his lack of financial capacity, Ho added.

The officer said that he has been trying to change Minh’s perception that being in rehab facilities is tough and scary, during which the addicts would be “handcuffed.”

According to Ho, his daily task is to meet and talk with local drug users and encourage them to cooperate in the rehabilitation process.

“Society has changed its perception of drug addicts, referring to them as patients of a chronic disease who need treatment,” the officer elaborated.

He said that patients should no longer need to be forced into centers but be convinced to voluntarily sign up themselves.

Ho and his colleagues work in a 15-square-meter office, previously a patrol post in the district.

“It was difficult at first as the people were still afraid to approach us. They also tried to avoid us when we came to their houses,” the officer recalled.

Thanks to their persistence, narcotic users eventually understood the officer's good intentions, and then introduced the service to their fellow addicts.

Relapse is common, Ho remarked, adding that some patients do go back to their bad habits just a few days after beginning  their rehabilitation.

Very few patients completely recover from their addiction, the officer said, adding that small success was enough for him to find hope and the determination to continue his job.

Favorable conditions for addicts

According to Tran Ngoc Du, head of the Ho Chi Minh City Bureau of Social Evils Prevention, drug addicts now have access to a variety of recovery channels, including rehabilitation at home, community centers, and private residences.

Authorities in the southern city offer financial support worth VND1.26 million (US$56.51) for each drug addict to join their 15-day rehabilitation program at local centers, Du said.

Counseling offices have been established in every commune and ward in the city, while methadone has also been provided to narcotic users as a last resort, the official added.

Drug addiction is now perceived as an illness, Du said, adding that junkies are given favorable conditions to continue their treatment.

“If they cannot recover despite all efforts, they shall be sent to mandatory rehabilitation centers for between six and 24 months in order to ensure social security and order,” the official stated.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!        

Tuoi Tre News

More

Read more

;

Photos

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Vietnam’s Mekong Delta celebrates spring with ‘hat boi’ performances

The art form is so popular that it attracts people from all ages in the Mekong Delta

Vietnamese youngster travels back in time with clay miniatures

Each work is a scene caught by Dung and kept in his memories through his journeys across Vietnam

Latest news