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Dimapur, April 18 (EMN): Department of Social Welfare, in collaboration with ARK Foundation and DAPCU, Kiphire, organised a sensitisation workshop on substance use- prevention and treatment on April 16 in the conference hall of Kiphire District Hospital.
The workshop was chaired by Tsiatsüvi, DAPCU district programme officer, while USLP vice president, L Kipitong Sangtam, delivered the opening remarks in which he urged the NGOs and CSOs to address the issue of addiction in the district, an update from ARK Foundation stated.
He also emphasised on the OST programme and its importance, which if taken on a daily basis, could help manage addiction. While lamenting that people are not giving their efforts towards the programme, he has sought support towards the programme in order help the drug users at large.
President of ARK Foundation, Ketho Angami, shared an overview of drug addiction in the state of Nagaland spanning four decades and stated that addiction has vastly affected the health and lives of the drug users and the society at large.
Pointing out that drug addiction is still a reality, he said Kiphire district still has significant numbers of drug users. He has lauded the Social Welfare department for the initiatives for conducting such programmes across the state and called for concerted efforts from all sections of the society.
On the strategy towards addressing drug abuse, he has emphasised on supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction adding that the three prone strategies are being implemented by various agencies and departments.
He further stressed on the need to work on primary prevention and also to provide opportunity to the people who are already into the habit to seek treatment and come to recovery saying, recovery from drug addiction is possible.
Litingse, a recovering drug user from Kiphire, shared his experience with drug abuse. According to him, his families, neighbourhood and his villagers used to discriminate against him because of his habit. He shared his experience of going into rehab centres which were always followed by relapses.
Litingse informed that after registering in the OST programme in November 2013, he continued with the treatment for more than a year. He added that he fasted for 96 days and since then he is living a clean and sober life without drugs and alcohol.
Tsiatsüvi has informed about the various drug related services available in the district such as targeted intervention which implements the approach of harm reduction. She informed that services such as needles and syringes, condoms, counselling, and referrals for drug treatment and HIV related issues are provided free of cost at the district hospitals.
She further encouraged all to avail the services without fear of stigma and discrimination.
During the open discussion session, various queries and concerns relating to OST, management and treatment of chemical dependency and usage of condoms were deliberated.
Wango Langsym, assistant director and nodal officer (Drugs), has highlighted the various different roles played by the various departments and the NGOs towards supply, demand and harm reduction. He emphasised on the importance of primary prevention among the upcoming generations in the schools, colleges and churches.
He also stressed on the important role of stakeholders and the society towards the management and treatment of people who are into the habit. He opined that punishing and shaming them is not the solution.
More than 40 stakeholders from various associations ranging from apex tribal hoho, churches, students, NGO partners, drug users, police and civil society organisations of the district attended the programme.