Govt ready to launch National Drug Master Plan
THE Government has revealed the imminent launch of the of the National Drug Master Plan which is expected to offer both an integrated and comprehensive approach that addresses a range of drug related issues.
Speaking to Sunday News yesterday, the chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drug and Substance Abuse that was set up to find solutions to drug abuse, Professor Paul Mavima who is also the Minister of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare, said substantial progress has been made by the ministries involved to prepare for the launch of the Master Plan. Professor Mavima also revealed that a team will be leaving the country within the next couple of weeks for Ghana on a fact-finding mission on ways to address the drug scourge.
“The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare is in the process of finalising the operationalisation of the Zimbabwe National Drug Master Plan (ZNDMP 2020 to 2025). As the chairperson of the interministerial taskforce, I am aware that all elements of the Master Plan are now in place and we will soon be announcing the launch date. President Emmerson Mnangagwa is very passionate about the National Drug Master Plan and all the relevant ministries have been working hard to get it sorted. We will soon be making public the launch date.
“The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drug and Substance Abuse was set up by President Mnangagwa in response to the growing drug and substance use in the country. The working group has been working on prevention, treatment, identifying and upgrading of existing mental health institutions. We have also included plans for the setting up of a dedicated child psychiatric hospital in each province until these young people have recovered.”
Early this year, Government established a National Drug Abuse Fund to help fight the drug abuse scourge that has afflicted the country, especially among the youth. The fund which is provided in this year’s budget is meant to, among other things, establish rehabilitation centres for drug addicts and also help combat and contain drug and substance abuse.
Professor Mavima confirmed that funds had been availed by Treasury to ministries like his and the Health Ministry. He said a special unit has been established in his ministry whose core function is to fight drug abuse including exposing cartels peddling drugs such as guka, bronco, glue, musombodiya, cocaine and crystal meth, commonly known as mutoriro.
“Treasury availed funds to all ministries that are part of the fight against drug and substance use. With these funds, each ministry is individually and collectively expected to promote the nation’s anti-drug and substance use programmes. These ministries include mine, the Health, Youth and Security Ministries. My ministry now has a full time Anti-Drug Unit that works with other key stakeholders to fight this pandemic which has been capacitated by funding from Treasury. Additionally, the review of the Dangerous Drugs Act to meet and deal with the obtaining realities in tackling drugrelated issues is being speeded up.”
He also revealed that the Ministry of Health and Child Care is in the process of establishing rehabilitation facilities across the country.
“I know that part of the work being done at the Ministry of Health includes efforts to ensure that rehabilitation centres are established across the country to help drug and substance users as well as survivors who will need to be reintegrated into society. Establishment of rehabilitation centres was one of Government’s priorities,” said Prof Mavima.
In addition, a multi-sectoral approach has been deployed by various stakeholders towards complementing Government efforts in the fight against drug and substance abuse by the youth. Meanwhile, Professor Mavima said members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drug and Substance Abuse are due to travel to Ghana on a fact-finding mission.
“As we continue to find better ways of dealing with this pandemic, we are sending a team to Ghana on a fact-finding mission. Ghana has done well in its fight against drug and substance use and we are hoping to learn a thing or two which may help us in our own fight to reclaim our youth from this scourge,” he said.
Ghana is generally considered as the first African country, and the first country outside of Europe and the Americas, to decriminalise the personal possession and use of all illegal drugs. Two years ago, the Ghanaian Parliament voted to pass the Narcotics Control Commission Bill into law. The new legislation repealed and replaced existing drug offences and seeks to address drug use as a “public health issue”. - @RealSimbaJemwa