KUALA LUMPUR – Healthcare practitioners have urged the government to engage with all relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, to ensure the effective implementation of Putrajaya’s drug decriminalisation initiative.
Referring to the Home Ministry’s upcoming tabling of amendments to the Drug Dependants (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983, addiction and mental health treatment expert Dr Prem Kumar Shanmugam claimed the private sector has been left in the dark about the proposed reforms.
The founder and chief executive officer of Solace Asia, a rehabilitation centre dedicated to the holistic treatment of addiction, also posited that policymakers often have “different definitions and goals” compared to drug addiction patients, their families and the public.
Such differing perspectives, he told Scoop, necessitate the involvement of the private sector, as industry experts have better resources and diverse insights crucial to ensuring addiction treatment methodologies move beyond abstinence and punishment.
“The quality of engagement with the private sector has been suboptimal and selective. Policymakers aim to reduce treatment costs, address socioeconomic issues and support law enforcement in managing addiction-related crimes.
“However, the private sector focuses on the quality of treatment and operational details, which may not have been adequately considered (for the proposed amendments),” said Prem, who is also a psychologist and psychotherapist.
Expressing concern over whether the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK), which is under the Home Ministry’s jurisdiction, will be up to the task of handling drug addiction treatments, Prem said harm reduction and sustainable recovery for patients must be prioritised.
“The proposed amendments suggest that AADK will manage addiction treatment, granting them more authority. However, given their past performance, this raises concerns about their ability to succeed.
“Certainly, this is a national security issue that needs the Home Ministry’s involvement, but using the same approach with the same people as before and expecting a different result is unrealistic,” he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, Malaysian Mental Health Association president Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj said the exclusion of private sector input could lead to eventual policies being “unrealistic or misaligned” with actual rehabilitation practices.
“(The lack of engagement) could result in a reduction of the proposed legislations’ effectiveness in the sense that the regulations might create operational hurdles, making it difficult for rehabilitation services in Malaysia to function optimally.
“We know that poorly designed policies may result in suboptimal care environments and this can increase the likelihood of relapse among patients,” said Andrew, who is also an executive committee member of the Malaysian Substance Abuse Council.
He added that “inadequate or misinformed” policies could perpetuate the stigma surrounding substance abuse and rehabilitation, thus deterring individuals from seeking professional help.
When contacted, former AADK director-general Datuk Abd Halim Mohd Hussin also agreed that a lack of input from the private sector will “definitely affect” AADK’s execution of its duties.
However, he added that “considerable engagements” have already taken place with the private sector regarding the proposed amendments, which he hopes will address “long-standing issues” faced by the agency.
“(The private sector) has been consulted through various activities, though there might be concerns over the quality of engagements.
“It’s a good time to increase these consultations, as it’s a process that leads to enhanced collaboration, fitting into the principle and policy that combating drug addiction is everyone’s business.”
On Wednesday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said amendments to the Drug Dependants (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act are expected to be tabled during the current Parliament session, which is scheduled to end on July 18.
Among the main amendments, Saifuddin reportedly said, is to decriminalise drug addiction, with AADK’s rehabilitation officers – instead of medical officers – tasked with evaluating and assessing potential drug rehabilitation cases. – June 29, 2024