Services for Drug Abusers

OBJECTIVES

12.1

Services for drug abusers aim at helping drug abusers to abstain from their drug-taking habits and re-integrate into the community through community-based and residential services. Preventive programmes to educate young people and the public on harmful effects of drug abuse are also provided.

SERVICE PROVISION

12.2

The service provision as at 31 March 2013 is as follows:

14 Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centres
11 Counselling Centres for Psychotropic Substance Abusers
2 Centres for Drug Counselling

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PERIOD

Drug Dependent Persons Treatment and Rehabilitation Centres (Licensing) Ordinance, Cap. 566

12.3

The Drug Dependent Persons Treatment and Rehabilitation Centres (Licensing) Ordinance, Cap. 566, aims at ensuring that drug dependent persons will receive services in a properly managed and physically secure environment. Under this Ordinance, all treatment centres are regulated by licences or certificates of exemption (the latter is only applicable to treatment centres which existed before the commencement of the Ordinance, i.e. 1 April 2002). In 2011-12 and 2012-13, SWD issued or renewed licences/certificates of exemption to 40 government-subvented or self-financing and non-profit-making treatment centres according to the aforesaid Ordinance with the distribution as shown in Chart 19 below.

Chart 19 : Number of Licences and Certificates of Exemption Issued

Centres for Drug Counselling

12.4

The Centres for Drug Counselling (CDCs) aim at helping drug abusers to abstain from drug abuse, assisting ex-drug abusers to maintain abstinence and assisting family members of drug abusers and ex-drug abusers to deal with problems resulting from drug abuse. To early identify and motivate drug abusers to seek early treatment and rehabilitation services, the CDCs were allocated additional recurrent resources to provide on-site medical support service since August 2011. This comprises one Registered Nurse (Psychiatric) on site and resources for procurement of medical support services from the community.