Taking advantage of the current campaign to wipe out drug addiction in Ho Chi Minh City, some people have offered unauthorized treatment and drug detoxification services to addicts.

They even advertise themselves as health experts though they have never been trained to perform such tasks, except for their experience of working for a period at a certain health center as a health worker.

The illegal drug detoxification centers are actually small rooms partitioned in their private houses.

With an estimate of around 30,000 junkies in Ho Chi Minh City, the ‘health experts’ have earned a considerable income through the unauthorized services.

On average, an addict pays at least VND7 million (US$336) for treatment within the first ten days with these ‘pundits,’ excluding medicine.

Undercover 'addict'

Around 70 percent of snatching and robbery cases in Vietnam are related to drug addicts, according to Nguyen Thanh Tai – former deputy chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and chief of its drug detox project.

And 80 percent of drug addicts have a low education level, he added.

After Ho Chi Minh City resumed the normal operations of state-run rehabilitation centers following a delay of one year over human rights allegations, junkies who are homeless and those showing signs of addiction in public have been forcibly gathered into the centers for initial treatment and then detoxification.

A large number of addicts who fear pain during the first days of detox at state-run rehab centers often opt for the illicit services.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper uncovered two illegal centers late last year and started investigating them.

They were being run by two ‘doctors,’ Nguyen Thi Tien, 49, in the 172nd alley of the railway apartment in Ward 1, District 3; and Nguyen Thi Ai, 61, living at #2 of the 102nd alley of Cao Lo Street in Ward 4, District 8.

The two above houses always had their doors closed, but many addicts were staying inside for treatment with the two ‘doctors.’

A Tuoi Tre journalist knocked on the door of the house in District 8. A man who introduced himself as Thao looked the reporter up and down before unlocking the door for the undercover ‘addict’ to enter, and then locked it again.

Then he phoned someone. Five minutes later, a woman entered and introduced herself as ‘Doctor Ai.’

Putting her hand on the neck of the ‘addict,’ she said, “The body temperature is high. It seems that you are hungry for drugs. Let me give you an injection to control the fit.”

Ai assured that she would temporarily stop the fit of drug addiction within the first ten days for VND7 million at her center and VND8 million ($385) at a private home.

After that, she said she would prescribe the addict a type of medicine at VND40,000 ($2) per pill. Tuoi Tre found out that the medicine was Naltrexone.

“It helps prevent you from craving drugs. It’s like a fence to separate you from relapsing into addiction,” Ai explained.

“I am sure you are not exhausted and in pain, one hundred percent for sure.”

Ai took the disguised ‘addict’ up to the first and second floor of her house, where seven other men were under treatment.

The treatment rooms in her house were narrow and did not have any equipment related to the treatment.

The other illegal center

The same disguised ‘addict’ visited the other unauthorized center in District 3 to meet ‘Doctor Tien.’ Her house had many rooms partitioned by sliding doors.

She offered detoxification for VND8 million for the first ten days.

She also boasted that she could “install a chip into the body of an addict and it will dissolve into his blood to enter his brain and prevent the craving for a drug.”

“The chip costs VND68.2 million [$3,300],” she added.

After detoxification within the first ten days, Tien said she would prescribe a medicine worth VND100,000 ($4.8) a tablet for permanent prevention of drug cravings.

In the following days, other Tuoi Tre journalists interviewed ‘Doctor Ai’ and ‘Doctor Tien’ about their unauthorized services. But they both denied the jobs.

Tien admitted that she just helped consult addicts for treatment.

Tuoi Tre has also discovered online advertisements for drug detoxification. However, those who are in charge of the advertised services refused to meet with journalists.

Dr. Le Truong Giang, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Public Health Association, said that drug detoxification by illegitimate services is dangerous to junkies.

Health staff in charge of drug detox are required to have knowledge relating to the human nervous system, while the unauthorized ‘doctors’ often give addicts sleeping pills day after day when they are in their fit of addiction.

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