Cebu not in DOH list of areas to build new rehab centers

DESPITE the thousands of drug users and surrenderers in Cebu, the Department of Health will not build a new rehabilitation and treatment center in Cebu for next year.

This developed despite the bigger budget that the DOH has proposed for the new constructions of these rehabilitation and treatment centers for next year, and Cebu is not included in the list of places to build these centers.

DOH Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial said that of the P144-billion proposed budget for 2017, P3 billion is allocated for the rehabilitation and treatment centers.

“These areas are considered because no rehabilitation centers are existing,” Ubial told the reporters in a press conference yesterday Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City.

There will be (construction of) five regional rehabilitation centers and four mega treatment rehabilitation centers (in military camps).

Ubial said that military camps are considered because the lot is surely owned by the government and to address security problem.

The five regional rehabilitation centers considered are in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Socsargen (Region 12), MIMAROPA (Region IV-B), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Negros Island Region (NIR).

Some areas are also considered for the four mega treatment rehabilitation centers. These are Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija; one will be in Bataan, Camp, Camp Macario Peralta Jr. in Jamindan, Capiz or in Camp Rajah Sikatuna in Carmen, Bohol. Other camps are considered in Malungon, Sarangani for Mindanao.

According to Dangerous Drug Board website, there is one government-owned rehabilitation center in Cebu, which is DOH – Argao Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Candabong, Binlod, Argao.

Other three rehabilitation centers in Cebu are run by nongovernment organizations.

These include House of Hope Inc. in Lapu-Lapu City, North General Hospital Chemical Dependent’s Control and Rehab Center in Barangay Talamban, Cebu City, and Roads and Bridges to Recovery in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City.

According to the Cebu Provincial Anti-DrugAbuse Office (CPADAO) director Carmen Durano-Meca last Nov. 17, the number of drug surrenders of the province from July to Nov. 17 is 34,235.

The P3-billion proposed budget for rehabilitation and treatment centers in 2017 is one of the highest increase for 2017. In 2016, the budget was at P600 million.

Ubial said that the increase of budget for rehabilitation and treatment centers is one way to address the increase of drug surrenderers in the country.
DOH has proposed a total of P144-billion budget for 2017. This is higher in 2016 which was at P122 billion.