The Mega Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija that will be inaugurated on Nov. 29 will be open to both indigents and non-poor drug surrenderers who need in-patient care, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said.
The facility, which can accommodate up to 10,000 patients, will not cater to specific types of patients, she added.
Ubial expressed hope that the center would fully serve its purpose, which is to treat and rehabilitate drug dependents, whom she said are “victims” who should be given help so they could be guided back to mainstream society as productive citizens.
“We want to ensure that they are provided adequate and compassionate services,” she said, noting that the facility is scheduled to open on Nov. 15 but its inauguration will follow the schedule of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Ubial said that those who will be referred to the facility will be assessed by doctors and health workers from the different local government units who attended the training courses conducted by the Health department. These courses are aimed at addressing the country’s drug problem, in support of the President’s goal to curb the drug menace besetting the nation.
Each patient referred to the facility will be categorized as outpatient or inpatient, she said, adding that the center is likely to attract drug dependents from nearby provinces, such as Pampanga and Tarlac.
Ubial said those who can afford to pay will be charged “accommodation expenses” but “it will be free” for those who have no capability to pay.
She further said that her department plans to transfer “on a voluntary basis” some patients from over-crowded drug rehabilitation facilities in Bicutan, Tagaytay and Bataan to the center.
She also said that the department is considering arranging bus services so that patients’ families could easily visit them and provide them support as they go through rehab.
Meanwhile, Ubial said the budget for the operation of the facility next year will come from the General Appropriations Act of 2017.
In the meantime, the health department will use its Quick Response Fund (QRF) for operational expenses, including the salaries of hired health workers.
The QRF is intended for any emergency or any unplanned, unforseen eventuality in the health sector.
“The fund can be (used) for any public health emergency and the (drug) surrenders we have now are considered a public health emergency,” the health chief pointed out, explaining that drug addiction is actually a mental health problem.
Earlier, the Health department announced that the construction of the mega rehab facility was made possible through the philanthropic act of a Chinese businessman, who expressed interest in helping the Duterte administration in its campaign against illegal drugs. The President has emphasized that the country’s drug problem has already reached a level that threatens the future of the next generation.