The significant increase in brain damaged patients caused by the consumption of designer drugs has spawned a lucrative and unethical business.
THE noble deed of helping drug addicts get back on the right track in society has been turned into a lucrative business by some unscrupulous parties.
It is a result of the changing trend of drug abuse that has switched to synthetic drugs such as amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and ketamine, instead of the conventional opiate-based options such as cocaine and heroin.
Synthetic drug abusers suffer from detrimental side effects which include irreversible brain damage. These addicts — who end up like zombies — bring in good money for unethical drug rehabilitation centres.
These drug centres charge the family of a drug addict at least RM750 per month for rehabilitation. However, the rehabilitation is nothing more than locking them behind closed doors (See next page).
Lazing around: A small TV is constantly on to keep inmates in the female dormitory occupied. One such centre run by a family of four in Bandar Teknologi Kajang keeps more than 60 inmates in three shop units while another centre in Batu 9 Cheras has 40.
The inmates are kept to their beds almost round the clock, with television programmes and simple packaging activities to keep them occupied. There is no medical personnel engaged to monitor the centres.
“The parents are willing to pay the sum so that someone else can take care of the problem for them. Frankly, the families are sick and tired of these drug addicts, who can sometimes be violent. It’s sad,” said a social worker in Cheras.
“This, naturally springs up a good business opportunity,” she added.
Operators of the Bandar Teknologi Kajang drug centre are mischievous enough to land themselves in the grey area of laws. They position themselves as psychiatric nursing homes instead of drug rehabilitation centres to avoid needing a licence from the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK).
They also protect themselves with a licence issued by the Welfare Department for an old folks’ home they operate in Bandar Sungai Long.
Secret joint: The frontage of the drug rehabilitation centre in Bandar Teknologi Kajang does not even have a signage. For the last five years, they have been able to dodge AADK, Welfare Department and the Health Ministry by claiming that their operations fall under the jurisdiction of another department.
Parents who are in the dark about how rehabilitation centres should be run are also duped by the superficial discipline and cleanliness in these illegal centres.
Dr Mahmud Mazlan, who runs 10 clinics treating about 400 designer drug addicts, said he had heard about such establishments that basically provided detention for synthetic drug addicts but without proper treatment.
Dr Mahmud, who has been doing extensive research on synthetic drug trends, said ATS users had overtaken the opiate-based drug users drastically, hence the sudden surge in demand to treat the former.
“Despite the sharp change, the public service in treatment of ATS abuse is almost none. Yes, AADK has set up 1Malaysia Cure & Care clinics but that is not enough to tackle the epidemic,” he said.
Malaysian Mental Health Association president Datin Dr Ang Kim Teng said the emergence of these illegitimate, profit-making drug centres reflected a grave situation — that there were insufficient facilities to address the need.
“The fact that these centres are making good business shows that the affected parties do not have an avenue to seek help.
“AADK’s drug centres cater more for the conventional drug abusers while psychiatric wards in the public hospitals are for the acute cases. Where should these patients turn to then? The authorities need to address this,” she said.
In a written reply to StarMetro, Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said a solution to this situation might not be clear cut, adding that a concerted effort involving AADK, Welfare Department and Mental Health Council of the ministry, among other authorities, was needed.
On which department should monitor the establishment and operation of such centres, he explained that it would depend on the scope of treatment provided.
“There are two aspects here, first if such centres provide rehabilitation and healthcare to mentally ill patients based on the scope provided by the laws, then it may be categorised as a private psychiatric hospital or private psychiatric nursing home.
“Its services would be regulated under the Mental Health Act 2001 (Act 615) and its Regulations 2010, its facilities under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586), and the practice of the doctors under the Medical Act 1971. There are requirements and standards set under these laws for setting up and to operate such facilities,” he said, adding that enforcement activities could be carried out to inspect these facilities if they fall under the ministry’s jurisdiction.
This applies to facilities that provide healthcare to drug addicts who are mentally ill.
On the other hand, if these centres provide rehabilitation services for drug addicts who may not fall under the category of “mentally ill”, then these centres may have to be monitored by other agencies.
“There is a grey area on when a person or drug addict could become mentally ill and where he could be treated or nursed,” Hasan said.
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