No more 'mega' drug rehab centers after Nueva Ecija facility?'What we noticed is that if we are going to concentrate big rehabilitation centers in one region, there would be some difficulties,' says Interior Undersecretary John Castriciones
Jee Y. Geronimo
@jeegeronimo
Published 7:36 PM, April 08, 2017
Updated 11:12 PM, April 08, 2017
http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/165791-mega-drug-rehabilitation-centersMANILA, Philippines – The 10,000-bed mega treatment and rehabilitation center (TRC) in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija may be the last of its kind for now, a high-ranking official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) indicated.
"I don't suppose that we will be continuing with the concept of mega rehab," DILG Undersecretary for Operations John Castriciones told Rappler in an interview.
Admission woes hound the 161-building mega facility over 4 months since it was inaugurated by President Rodrigo Duterte himself.
As early as August 2016, the health department revealed its plans to build "very big" TRCs with 2,000-bed capacities.
Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial even went to China in September 2016 to sign a memorandum of understanding for the mega TRC in Nueva Ecija. This paved the way for the construction of the P1.5-billion facility donated by Chinese tycoon Huang Rulun.
But in January 2017, Ubial revealed that the 3 other proposed mega TRCs to be built in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will accommodate just up to 500 patients – not as huge as the 11-hectare compound in Nueva Ecija.
Health Spokesperson Eric Tayag said they realized as early as 2016 that building very big facilities like the mega TRC is not the way to go.
Downgraded estimates
At first, the idea of building mega TRCs came about because they had to prepare for the residential rehabilitation of 1% to 10% of drug surrenderers in the country.
If the country now has over 1.25 million drug surrenderers, it is estimated that at most, around 125,000 of them will need residential services in TRCs.
"Hindi kami puwedeng mag-prepare sa mababang range, so 10% daw ang puwedeng mangailangan ng treatment rehab center.... 'Yung capacity namin 5,000 lang 'pag pinagsama mo na lahat ng treatment rehab centers sa ating bansa, kaya naisipang maglagay ng 4 na mega [TRCs]," he said in an ambush interview on Friday, April 7.
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Admission woes
During that ambush interview, Ubial revealed they have now put the capacity of the Nueva Ecija TRC at just 500 patients. The first phase of the mega TRC was initially pegged at 2,500.
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To date, the health secretary said that only around 179 patients have been admitted to the mega TRC.
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DILG heads the inter-agency task force for the establishment and support of drug abuse TRCs throughout the country, by virtue of Executive Order 4 signed by the President in October 2016.
MILITARY LAND. The rehab dorms have been built on military land. File photo from the Department of Health
'You cannot force patients'
If only 179 patients have so far been admitted to the mega TRC, where are the rest of the drug surrenderers needing residential services?
"More often than not, they would prefer [to go to the nearest TRC] where they are located," he explained.
"You cannot force the patients – they are not prisoners in the first place. You cannot just order them around. It has to be voluntary."
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Mega TRC for community rehab?
Since only 179 patients have been admitted to the mega TRC to date, it's not surprising that the facility "is not being fully utilized" yet.
For now, Castriciones said they're looking at opening their buildings to nearby Nueva Ecija barangays (villages) that want to conduct their community-based drug rehabilitation programs in the Fort Magsaysay facility.
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