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The government, through the Health Ministry is intensifying its efforts to address the rising problem of Injectable Drug Use.

Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu says plans are in place to establish a Drug Rehabilitation Centre as a central part of the national response to substance abuse.

He reiterates that services offered should be tailored to meet local needs and contexts.

He says drug rehabilitation is a comprehensive therapeutic approach designed to help individuals overcome addictions to substances such as drugs and alcohol.

This process, Dr Lalabalavu believes requires a combination of medical and non-medical interventions including spiritual components and is carried out under the guidance of qualified professionals.

To advance this initiative, the Sub-Committee of the Counter Narcotics Committee (CNC) is currently developing the National Counter Narcotics Action Plan for August 2024 to July 2025.

The Minister outlines that this plan is built on four key pillars that aim to combat the drug-related issues in Fiji.

The first pillar, harm reduction focuses on treatment and addressing high-risk behaviors.

The second, demand reduction aims to increase prevention and awareness programs.

The third pillar, supply reduction concentrates on law enforcement and national security measures to curb drug supply.

The legal reform pillar seeks to improve prosecution processes and establish a drug court to handle related cases more effectively.

“The implementation of these four pillars involves a whole of Government approach, involving the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection; Ministry of Youth and Sports; Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration; to name a few. The Drug Rehabilitation Centre comes under the Harm Reduction Pillar which is to be implemented by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in the next three to five years.”

Dr Lalabalavu states that the creation of the drug rehabilitation centre falls under the Harm Reduction pillar, which will be rolled out over the next three to five years by the Ministry.

The primary goals of this initiative, he says include reducing substance abuse and HIV infections from IDU by 85 percent within the next five years.

The Ministry also aims to develop recovery-oriented treatment frameworks that guide individuals from clinical treatment into community recovery with provisions in place to manage possible relapse episodes.