THE Talisay City Government is eyeing to have its drug rehabilitation facility in Barangay Cansojong accredited with the Department of Health (DOH).
The city is now preparing the requirements needed for DOH accreditation.
Dr. Rey Ceasar Bautista, head of Talisay City Health Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program, said it would take them time before they could get an accreditation due to the many requirements they have to process.
Bautista said they are also planning to apply for Philhealth accreditation once they are already done with the DOH.
"Ang accreditation man gud kini nagpasabot nga ang maong programa will be there to stay, bisan retire name, naa ra gihapon ang program, institutionalization na ang atong programa, mao nay legacy sa City of Talisay," Bautista said.
(Accreditation is an assurance that the program will be there to stay. Even if we retire, the program will still be there since it is already institutionalized. That is the legacy of the City of Talisay).
He said the drug rehab program is one way of helping drug dependents recover because drug addiction cannot be solved without proper intervention.
"Whether we admit it or not, ang addiction is always around the corner," he added.
The doctor said that around 220 drug "defenders" who have already completed the six months treatment and after-care program of the City Government are expected to become the first beneficiaries of the soon-to-be DOH-accredited drug rehab program.
It was learned that thousands of drug defenders, including the 220 already mentioned, have already completed the drug recovery program.
"This year lang ni nga mga drug defenders ang naka comply kay wala man ta maka accomplish ug ceremony for the past two years due to pandemic kay dili man ta pwede ug pundok-pundok kaniadto," Bautista said, referring to graduation ceremony for drug dependents who have completed the rehab program.
(Only this year that these drug defenders were able to comply as we did not have a ceremony for the past two years to avoid gathering due to the pandemic.)
He said the ceremony was held without much fanfare.
Bautista said though that they are still not aware if those thousands of drug dependents who graduated from the rehab program have returned to using the illegal substance.
"That we do not know exactly but we have been doing research. Naay mga independent groups or individuals like medical schools ni conduct ug reasearch sa atong program. Among gitan-aw ang ilang pag-research, we found out nga at least 75 percent of drug addicts have completely recovered, and that's a very good number," Bautista said.
The drug recoveries will be offered jobs or a scholarship grant to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) as part of their reintegration into the community.
"Actually, ang atong gi offer sa city usa na kining reintegration. Reintegration means ang usa ka drug dependent naundang na paggamit na verify natu nga hangtud karon, wala gihapon mogamit mabalik nato sa society as a productive member," Bautista explained.
(Actually, reintegration is among the processes that the city offers. Reintegration means a drug dependent has already stopped using drugs upon further verification and can now become a productive member of society.)
"Kon unsay gusto nila nga moving forward, mangiskwela ba kaha o manarbaho o gusto ba kaha nga mopaubos sa Tesda," Bautista said.
(If they want to move forward, whether they study, work or undergo training at Tesda.) (BBT, TPT)