Saying that there is a huge gap between drug dependents and treatment facilities, Senator Cynthia Villar and Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque led yesterday’s soft opening of the Las Piñas Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Las Piñas City.
Records from the Dangerous Drug Board indicated there are only 3,216 beds in government and private drug rehabilitation centers although 600,000 have surrendered to authorities. It also showed there are about 1.3-million drug dependents in the country.
The additional drug rehab center is also in response to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s call to prioritize and synergize efforts to stop drug addiction.
The rehabilitation center, with an area of 2,735 square meters and target bed capacity of 300, will address the high influx of surrenderers and help in the process of rehabilitation and reintegration through the effective alignment of services and programs at the community level.
Villar said the rehab center is part of their contribution to the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.