Pubdate: Sat, 08 Aug 2009 Source: Yemen Observer (Yemen) Page: Front Page Copyright: 2009 Yemen Observer Contact: http://www.yobserver.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3136 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) YEMEN ESTABLISHES FIRST ADDICTION REHABILITATION CENTER YEMEN - The Ministry of Health and Population is preparing to build a special center for treating psychological illnesses and drug addictions, the first of its kind in Yemen, said Dr. Dhyaa Fadhil, a Psychological Health Program Officer at the Ministry of Health. She added that the program is to launch an awareness campaign over drugs trafficking and addiction risks in the different Yemeni provinces this week. "This campaign is the first step and will be followed by continual field visits to all Yemeni schools to promote awareness among students about the psychological, social, economic and health risks of addiction," said Fadhil. Fadhil pointed out that the center will be the foundation block for curbing the drugs addiction phenomenon that has seen a sharp increase in the last couple of years. She said this was a result of Yemen having become a stepping stone for trafficking to neighboring countries. The program signed an agreement with the Social Fund to equip the center with all required medical facilities as well as to build an additional floor for the current building. Fadhil affirmed that there were no official data about the number of addicts in Yemen. However she said that the Psychological Health Program - in collaboration with some other partners - is preparing to conduct a comprehensive evaluative study of all aspects of the addiction phenomenon. In 2008, over 27 tons of narcotics and 14 million pills were seized within or at Yemeni borders, and around 259 people were arrested for drug trafficking. 88 percent of those arrested were Yemeni, said a source from the Anti-Narcotics Directory at the Ministry of Interior. Last May the special Appeal Penal Court ordered an exorbitant amount of drugs containing four tons of hashish and millions of narcotic pills to be destroyed. Judge Saeed al-Aqil, Head of the Specialized Penal Court, said that these narcotics concern 23 separate criminal cases in which 75 suspects of different nationalities are involved. The suspects' nationalities include 47 Yemenis, 12, Pakistanis, 10 Iranians, 2 Syrians, 2 Saudis, 1Eritrean and 1 Ethiopian. The amount of hashish seized weighed in at 4,604,366 kilograms, while 6,380,000 narcotic pills were taken, all of which were obtained by the authorities in 2009. The drugs were captured in Sana'a , Hadramout, Hodeidah, Hajja, Sa'adah, and al-Maharah. Al-Aqil went on to say that, , "Yemen itself is not a narcotic consumer country as is the case in other countries, but its geographical position makes it a distinctive transit station for trafficking carried out by drug gangs." The Preliminary Penal Court's Judge, Radhwan al-Namir, said the majority of the narcotic pills come from Syria and Lebanon, while the Hashish comes from East Asia. Drug addicts hail from all segments of society. Since the cost of drugs varies so dramatically, both the poor and the rich can afford them. In the meantime, a great number of Yemeni youth are falling into the drug addiction trap. On the 22nd of July 2008, Life Makers organization announced a project to establish the first sanatorium to treat drug addicts in Yemen. Following that, Adnan al-Washali, Executive Director at Life Makers Foundation said, "The idea was initiated 5 years ago. Life Makers Organization-Yemen was assigned by the Right Start Foundation and the Dubai Police to run an addiction consequences awareness program. Since drug addicts are considered criminals in the eyes of society, it's very difficult to take the needed actions for treating them. "Addicts are socially convicted criminals, so it was natural to experience difficulties in establishing the treatment center," he added. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom