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Rehabilitation facility for Bulawayo CBD

by Staff reporter
29 Mar 2023 at 01:54hrs | Views
GOVERNMENT is set to establish a rehabilitation and outpatient facility in Bulawayo's city centre to help with counselling and psychosocial support for drug abusers and addicts.

This was said by the Director of Social Development in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Tawanda Zimhunga in an interview during the third phase comprehensive review of the National Action Plan for orphans and other vulnerable children.

Mr Tawanda Zimhunga, Director of Social Development, Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare

Zimbabwe is witnessing an upsurge in drug abuse cases and most of those abusing drugs are young people.

Recently, police launched an operation to fight drug abuse.

Mr Zimhunga said his ministry has already established a rehabilitation and outpatient facility in Harare and is working towards having another one along Fort Street in Bulawayo in due course.

Mr Zimhunga said the facility will complement the work of the inter-ministerial committee on drug and substance abuse and the police in dealing with the scourge.

"Another rehabilitation and outpatient facility is going to be established along Fort Street in Bulawayo where people will go there and get counselling and psycho-social support. Either the drug abusers or addicts will get an opportunity to go there and interact with social workers, get information and addiction counselling among other things," he said.

Mr Zimhunga said acute cases will be referred to hospitals for treatment and detoxification.

He said the ministry looks at both preventions through awareness campaigns and the response aspect.

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) Child Protection Manager Dr Nyasha Mayanga said the new National Action Plan for orphans and vulnerable children that Government is working on should be very comprehensive to address all contemporary issues affecting children that include drug and substance abuse.

"We are very mindful of the efforts that the Government is working on to address such issues. We understand they have set up the inter-ministerial committee to co-ordinate responses to the issue of drugs and substance abuse. We also look forward to collaboration in partnership with the Government in terms of strengthening these co-ordination mechanisms," said Dr Mayanga.

"Again as technical partners, we can come in to assist the Government in terms of helping generate the data and evidence on the impact of drugs and substance abuse on our children and young people. It is also about linking interventions to existing programmes."

Source - The Chronicle
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