The spouse of the Deputy President, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi, has revealed plans to partner with medical facilities under national and county governments to dedicate a ward to the rehabilitation of drug and alcohol addicts.
Speaking when she officially opened the Ihururu Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre in Tetu in Nyeri, Pastor Rigathi noted that even with the combined number of both public and private rehabilitation centres, the country still lacks capacity to accommodate the high number seeking treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.
“It is our intention to pursue the Ministry of Health in national and county government hospitals to be able to open a ward in their facilities where we can rehabilitate the youths,” said Pastor Dorcas.
“As I have said, the crisis is big, and even with the rehabilitation facilities that are accredited, it is impossible to contain the kind of crisis we are having. And therefore, when we have a crisis, we must be able to manage it by taking extraordinary measures so that we can be able to save our youth,” she added.
Further, the DP’s spouse also said that her office will also be seeking a collaboration with the national health insurer, the National Health Insurance Fund, to extend its coverage to rehabilitation and treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. The second lady said that whereas the fight against addiction was a global problem affecting millions, the cost of rehabilitation was not within the reach of those seeking rehabilitation.
“To mitigate the expensive cost of inpatient rehabilitation, we are partnering with NHIF to give consideration to those undergoing rehabilitation to enjoy some of the NHIF benefits,” she said.
The 90-bed capacity facility opened its doors in September this year after an assessment by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse (NACADA).
The centre is the only public facility in the county that is offering treatment for drug and alcohol addiction at a cost of Sh20,000 per month.
Currently, a total of 16 patients are admitted to the facility. During the official opening, the second lady also sponsored the admission of 43 men who voluntarily registered for treatment.
By Wangari Mwangi and Samuel Maina
