Abu Dhabi: A new initiative may soon prevent residents from filling the form for the same prescription drugs multiple times across the UAE, thus allowing for stricter control on pills that are often abused, a top official said on Monday.
The initiative by the Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with the National Rehabilitation Centre, is currently in its trial phase, Dr Hamad Al Gaferi, director-general of the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), told Gulf News.
“Prescription pills, including opiates and amphetamines, are still the most widely abused substances in the UAE. While smuggled drugs are a big contributor to the problem, addicts can also fill [the form for] a prescription drug in Abu Dhabi, then head to a neighbouring emirate to get the same, sometimes on the same day,” Dr Al Gaferi said.
“In Abu Dhabi emirate, there is a control mechanism that allows the Health Authority Abu Dhabi to track which medicines are being dispensed to a patient. A UAE-wide system is therefore being tried out which will link IDs to prescriptions and prevent prescriptions from being filled multiple times; this may be implemented across the country as early as next year (2018),” he added.
Dr Al Gaferi was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference in the capital, which was held to announce the 19th edition of the International Society of Addiction Medicine conference that will take place in Abu Dhabi from October 26 to 29.
The NRC, a national rehabilitation facility to prevent and treat addiction, operates from a custom-built facility in Shakhbut City that has about 160 patient beds. It has long provided treatment to Emirati patients suffering from substance abuse, and now even has 60 female patients, up from just one in 2012.
“Science has shown us that addiction is a disease, and it should therefore be treated like one. This is why we want to break down the stigma around all addicts seeking treatment, including females. The growing number of women approaching us therefore shows that residents are more aware about the risks of such addiction,” Dr Al Gaferi said.
Currently, patients are referred to the NRC through the courts. Emiratis can also avail of free treatment using their Thiqa health insurance plans. An expatriate, on the other hand, has to pay Dh120,000 for four weeks of inpatient treatment. Afterwards, many patients will need to follow it up with a 16-week outpatient plan that costs about Dh70,000.
“We want to make our services available to the wider community, and are therefore working to secure insurance coverage that will allow expat patients to be treated at the NRC. Hopefully, this should be available by the end of next year,” he told Gulf News.
According to officials, the majority of patients at the NRC are between 25 and 45 years. Yet, many patients have been far younger, with the youngest being an 11-year-old boy.
Still, residents are aware of the dangers of addiction, as seen by the fact that nearly 90 per cent of the NRC’s patients come in voluntarily or are brought in by their families, instead of through court-mandated rehabilitation requirements.
“In fact, patients can simply report to a police station in Abu Dhabi and ask to be treated. Their case will then be referred to the NRC and there will be no police or legal follow-up. This step was taken by the Ministry of Interior about a year ago to make addiction treatment more accessible for patients,” Dr Al Gaferi said.
