Latest update March 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 19, 2011 News
There is need for Guyana to strengthen its responses to the growing problem of substance abuse and by extension, the major challenge of dealing with street dwellers, says Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy. He pointed out that this is a growing problem worldwide, and requires a practical approach.
“This is a growing problem everywhere. So we have to, as nations, recognise and ensure that we have formal programmes to deal with street people. I believe that in developing countries the programmes to deal with persons on the streets have been too ad-hoc so we need a formal programme to deal with them.”
And in order to address this problem, Minister Ramsammy revealed, that there are plans for the construction of a habitat for homeless people to complement existing programmes. As such, he noted, that this is the time for all stakeholders to ensure that the plans for the home will be more than just an arrangement for the placement of street people.
“Many of us have had experiences with this. We know that you can pick them up and put them in a home today and they will not be there tomorrow.”
Moreover, the Minister asserted that there is need to deal with the fundamental problem. “We need to address what are the issues that place people on the streets and not just assume that it is their economic situation…This is the time that we need the proper advocacy…and so this home should not simply be a place to sleep or a place to get some food, because if that is what it is, it will not have an iota of impact or even a little dent on the problem.”
In this regard, the Minister said, that there is need for such a facility to offer services rather than just accommodation alone. He is of the view that once persons are taken to the proposed facility, efforts must be made to seize the opportunity to treat other problems street dwellers might be facing.
And this, the minister stressed, may not only be the problem of addiction. He envisages that the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the likes of the Phoenix Recovery Project will be offering services for mental illnesses and substance abuse, even HIV and tuberculosis, right at the home – a complete contrast to the existing programme.
“If somebody comes to an (rehabilitation) institution we sometimes want to refer them someplace else, and it is through this that we lose them in the process. The opportunity for Guyana now is that all these services will be institutionalised in this home that is being built for the homeless.”
“I believe that we have seen no more than a mini-revolution in what we are doing for substance abuse in our country. With our partners through the existing programmes we have been able to build and we have a fledgling capacity being built to deal with substance abuse in a non-medical way.”
But even with the creation of institutions and the training of persons, Minister Ramsammy revealed that there is a need for persons to mobilise and enhance basic support. Religious entities, for instance, would prove to be very important in this regard, he asserted.
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