DOH to include livelihood skills in drug rehab

The Department of Health (DOH) is set to include livelihood training in the rehabilitation program of drug addicts admitted at the Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

According to DOH Undersecretary Roger Tong-an, the department wants to make sure that drug dependents, after completing the rehabilitation program, would be able to stand on their own when they return to the community.

“What we want to do next year is to include livelihood training in the rehabilitation (protocol). So we will be asking the patients what their passions are and then come up with a training program for them,” he said.

Currently, livelihood training is done as part of the recovery process after the patients undergo rehabilitation procedures and before they return to the community.

Tong-an noted that they are in close coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for those who complete the program.

He added the DOH will also be working with the Commission on Higher Education so they could have alternative education for those who dropped out of school.

“Many drug addicts have dropped out of school so we want them to graduate. There will be some sort of equivalency program for them,” he said.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the 10,000-bed mega drug treatment and rehabilitation facility in Nueva Ecija will never go to waste even if there are only very few takers.

“On the Mega Drug Facility – well, given that it is under-utilized, we emphasize again that this was given by a private donor who decided to build it as is and therefore there’s not much we can do about it. But it will never go to waste,” Roque said.