BNNP to Embrace Drug Addicts

Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (AntaraNewsKalsel) - The South Kalimantan National Narcotics Agency (BNNP) will implement a Field Intervention Screening (SIL), a program to embrace drug abusers to be treated or undergoing rehabilitation.

"The SIL program will be implemented in 2018 for 10 months," said Head of Rehabilitation of the BNNP Dr Sandra in Banjarmasin on Monday.

"Early detection will continue to improve to determine the severity of drug abusers and identify the level of intervention necessary for referral purposes," she said.

In its implementation in the field, the agency which consists of doctors, psychologists, nurses, public health graduates to midwives will give counseling to areas prone to drug trafficking while looking for abusers to villages.

"In fact very few addicts who come with their awareness asked for treatment to BNNP or puskesmas and hospitals that have become a referral for outpatient abusers," said Sandra.

Based on BNNP's data, only about 1,000 people who follow the rehabilitation program, both outpatient and inpatient, at Sambang Lihum Hospital. It was very small compared to the number of narcotics abusers in South Kalimantan, which was estimated to reach 55,598 in 2015.

"Since 2015, every year there are only about 1,000 people who participated in the rehabilitation, and only a few have completed the program, mostly drop outs, the did not come back," said Sandra regretted.

Though 26 outpatient services rehabilitation programs for drug addicts spread across 13 districts and cities in South Kalimantan ready to receive those who need treatment to recover from drug addiction.

"We reiterate all the rehabilitation programs are free, BNN pay all, so if there is a claim of fee come to BNNP or BNK (city or district drug agency)," said Sandra.

She asserted addicts do not be afraid of being arrested, because they are protected by law and must be rehabilitated if the abuser is not a dealer.