Mega rehab center eyed to handle 10,000 drug dependents in Nueva Ecija

Construction is under way for the so-called mega rehabilitation center at Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, Tina Panganiban-Perez reported on News To Go on Tuesday.

Once completed, the drug rehabilitation facility can accomodate about 10,000 patients.

The construction of the facility was upon the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte as regards having drug rehabilitation centers at military bases.

"We visited Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija precisely as a call from the Office of the President for the establishment of military camps and make [drug rehabilitation centers]. Ito ay para sa maigting na pangangailangan immediately. So we will be housing about 10,000 patients," Health Assistant Secretary Elmer Punzalan said in a congressional hearing.

Rehabilitation centers are also scheduled to be built in Bohol and Capiz.

According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the country currently has about 3.7 million drug users, 37,000 expected to undergo in-patient treatment, and 74,000 to 370,000 need either outpatient services or community-based intervention programs.

Punzalan said the country had yet to meet the goal of having at least one drug rehabilitation center per province.

"We are not even compliant with the goal of having at least one per region. There are still 4 regions na walang drug rehabilitation center," he said.

"What we would require would be outpatient and community-based interventions," Dangerous Drugs Board Secretary Benjamin Reyes added.

Meanwhile, one of the in-patient facilities presented at the House hearing was the Bicutan Treatment and Rehabilitation Center which can attend to more than 1,500 patients.

The government spends P25,000 per patient in the facility.

"Our Health Facilities Bureau asked for 550 beds. Plantilla is for 1,000 beds. But the present situation is we have more than 1,500 beds so puno kami ngayon," Chief Health Program Officer Dr. Alfonso Villaroman said.

Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. questioned the government's actions and preparedness in accomodating more patients amid the massive number of drug suspects captured or who voluntarily surrendered.

"If we have a six-month program, yung 100-bed facility will have 200 clients. Sa 200 clients, that's P267,500 ang cost. Per client! Kaya ba ng gobyerno yun?" Teves said.

Punzalan replied the DOH allotted P5 million per regional hospital for an early facilitation for the drug suspects.

"We had an immediate budget allocation from our Department of Health of providing P5 million for every regional hospital and treatment rehabilitation center for the early facilitation in response to the increasing number of surrenders," he said. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/NB, GMA News