Second-rate drug rehab centres to be upgraded

Hanoi (VNA)- About 45 percent of drug-detoxification centres nationwide to not have sufficient facilities, according to the Social Evils Prevention Department under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

Capital earmarked for detoxification works has been mainly spent on food
and medicine for patients, although 65 percent of localities have provided
fund for detoxification centres.

Some centres have created jobs for drug addicts to improve their living
conditions rather than for rehabilitation due to the shortage of funding.

Meanwhile, some provinces have cut down expense on drug detoxification
work, hindering the progress of projects to upgrade detoxification and
rehabilitation centres in many communes and districts.

"The lack of capital, medical staff, and land are also reasons behind the
low standards of drug detoxification centres," said Tran Viet Trung, deputy
head of the Social Evils Department.

"To help solve the problem, the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and
Social Affairs will map out a plan to upgrade low-quality detoxification
centres for the next two years," he said.

The ministry will also survey and close unqualified centres with low
capacity.

Vietnam now has 87 detoxification centres. Most of the qualified
centres are in major cities, such as Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hai
Phong.

The number of drug addicts stands at around 170,000, according to the
department.

In the past six months, centres treated more than 27,700 drug addicts,
about 55.5 percent of those targeted.

The Government plans to provide treatment for 80 percent of identified
drug addicts by 2010.