TAX PAYER CONTRIBUTES RM3K PER MONTH PER ADDICT

The government currently spends RM300 millions annually to support the drug addicts

in its rehabilitation programmes being implemented at the 26 rehab centres nationwide.

This effort only enrich the various contractors and related parties manning the

centres. Of course the programmes provide job opportunities for many bread winners

but it is at the expense of countless other unfortunate souls and their families. 75% of

the "graduate addicts" will return to the old habits in no time once they left the centres.

Read on to find out more.





Expert: Methadone way can save 90% cost in fight against dadah scourge
bernama/sun2surf
KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 23, 2008) : The government can effectively tackle dadah abuse and save about RM270 million annually in the process, if it fully implements methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) in the fight against the scourge.

Addiction psychiatrist Prof Dr Mohamad Hussain Habil who heads the Psychiatry Department at the University of Malaya's medical faculty, said MMT also reduces the risk of HIV infection as no needles were used.

At present, the government spends about RM300 million annually to tackle the problem through its zero-tolerance, long-term rehabilitation programme at the 26 rehabilitation centres nationwide, with little or no success.

This cost could be slashed drastically if MMT is used, he said, pointing out that it cost the government about RM3,000 per month per addict under the present rehabilitation system, while the cost using the MMT method is only RM300 per patient per month - giving a savings of 90%.

Besides the high cost, the methods used at the centres are not that effective as almost 75% of the addicts who left the centres returned to their old habit within a few months, he said.

He said a nationwide study by the university in 2005 showed that by using the MMT method, most heroin-addicted patients gained employment after six months of therapy and did not engage in high-risk behaviour like self-injection or promiscuity.

He estimated that there were about one million dadah addicts in the country today, with almost 800,000 addicted to heroin. The rest are using other drugs like ecstasy, ketamine, ganja.

Dr Mohamad Hussain added that under the MMT method, the addicts were treated just like other patients requiring medical attention for a disease, unlike in the 90s when heroin addicts were treated like criminals and the general feeling was that they should be ostracised, jailed and condemned.

The criminalisation of heroin dependency not only caused suffering to addicts and their families but also posed a financial burden to the government, he said.

Dr Mohamad Hussain explained that methadone was a drug which helped to reduce the craving in the addict, thereby helping him to kick the habit.

"It (dadah abuse) is just like any other disease, such as diabetes or hypertension, where long-term drug therapy is required to help the patient," he said, adding that there was also no known side-effect from the long-term use of methadone.

Dr Mohamad Hussain said the university had trained about 1,000 local doctors both in the private and public sector on MMT.

"This makes it easy for heroin addicts to seek treatment from a private clinic nearest their home while staying with their families," he said.

He hoped the Health Ministry which has started using MMT in its various hospitals would expand its use to benefit dadah addicts, and the nation as a whole.

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