PUTRAJAYA, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- The 1Malaysia Cure and Care Clinics for drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation which use a new approach, have received recognition from various international organisations.
National Anti-Drug Agency director-general Datuk Zuraidah Mohamed said the organisations included the World Health Organisation (WHO), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
"They regard the open concept used by the clinics as the best approach and have urged other countries to follow Malaysia's method. Besides, we often receive foreign visitors who come to look at our operations at the clinics," she told reporters, here, Friday.
The 1Malaysia Cure and Care Clinics replace the Narcotics Addiction Rehabilitation Centres (PUSPEN). While practising the open concept, the clinics function as treatment hubs and referrence centres.
Unlike PUSPEN, addicts and their family members can come to the clinics any time to get treatment and counselling from medical specialists and psychiatrists without having to go through the legal procedure.
Zuraidah said currently, there were six such clinics in the country, with 1,897 people benefiting from the service up to Dec 30, last year.
She said four more clinics would open in Pahang and Terengganu.
Zuraidah said this year too, the agency would conduct courses and training for 101,062 volunteers registered with the agency in a more systematic manner to ensure they could carry out their tasks more effectively.
From January to June last year, 12,079 drug addicts were recorded nationwide, with Kedah having the biggest number at 1,342.
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