8,000 drug “surrenderers” finished rehab programs, Duque says

September 6, 2018

While there were over a million "surrenderers" in the war against illegal drugs since July 2016, only about 8,000 have completed the rehabilitation programs as of July, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Thursday.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH's proposed budget for drug rehabilitation program in 2019 has increased to P1.156 billion from P818.349 million this year.

"We have 8,662 who have successfully graduated from the various TRCs (Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers)," he said.

Asked why there were only about 8,000 who have graduated from the rehabilitation centers despite the high number of surrenderers, Duque explained it depends on the situation on the ground.

"So the way it is, number one, there are actually 4 million estimated drug users...and there were about 1.3 million thereabouts surrenderers and there about 94 percent are users. But the situation on the ground, of course, you have to screen, in the case of others you just have a more superficial assessment," he said.

"But when the assessment—more thorough assessment has been done of this, only 0.6 to 1 percent were assessed to be needing in-patient treatment and only between 2 and 10 percent needed outpatient treatment. And of course all the rest, the 90 percent community based interventions," Duque added.

As to the proposed budget for rehabilitation next year, he said the P1.156 billion include personal services, capital outlay and  maintenance and other operating expenses. Celerina Monte/DMS