TRC, already home to 180 drug users seeking treatment
ANOTHER CHANCE AT LIFE
THE Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (TRC) of the Department of Health (DOH) in Barangay Bonuan Binloc, Dagupan City is now home to 180 clients, who at one time in their lives used drugs, for a chance to get back to normal and rejoin society.
The number already includes 15 who with ages from 20 to 50 years old who just opted to avail of the treatment.
This was bared by TRC Administrative Officer Raymond Basbas to members of the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) led by Mayor Belen Fernandez, who visited the center on May 8 for some guidance in connection with the council’s plan to establish a Community-based Rehabilitation Center in Dagupan for 1,200 drug users who surrendered.
Basbas said TRC can still accommodate 120 more clients and called on the Dagupan CADAC to fill up the remaining slots with drug dependents with moderate to severe drug addiction.
Members of the CADAC were welcomed by TRC Administrator Delfin Gubatan and Dr. Joseph Maramba, assistant administrator.
The clients of TRC today are from various parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila. Only a few are from Dagupan City and Pangasinan.
Basbas said once the remaining slots are filled, drug dependents in need of treatment will be referred to the Mega Rehabilitation Center at Fort Magsaysay with 10,000-bed capacity in Nueva Ecija but only has 200 clients today.
TRC officials advised CADAC to have the 1,200 drug users assessed by the center to determine their level of addiction and went on to suggest that only those with low addiction be placed under the Community-based Rehabilitation Program that will last from four to six months on weekends.
Those who can complete the program will be required to go through after-care program and undergo drug testing and after which they will be trained for livelihood projects from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and TESDA.
The TRC officials recommended that those found out with moderate to severe addiction should be directed to the rehabilitation center.
Basbas said there are two classes of clients at TRC, those voluntarily submitted by their families to undergo rehabilitation and pay board and lodging fees and the indigent drug users who are subsidized by the government.
He said the center has a reflection room (or isolation room) for a drug dependent who becomes violent where he remains until he calms down. (Leonardo Micua)
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