RIYADH — Three new hospitals for the treatment of drug addicts will be opened in Riyadh and Taif before the end of the current year, according to the secretary general of the National Commission to Combat Drugs, Abdul Ilah Bin Mohammed Al-Sharif. Sharif, who is also the chairman of the board of directors of the National Project on Prevention of Narcotics (Nibras), said six rehabilitation centers will be opened in various parts of the country within the next three years to rehabilitate the drug addicts after treatment. "These new facilities will end the problem of ‘no beds' for the drug addicts in hospitals," he added. Sharif revealed that a Saudi businessman has expressed his wish to build four hospitals and a drug-treatment center which will provide free treatment to the citizens. He also said the comprehensive Saudi plan for capacity building in the field of drug combating has started Tuesday and would continue for three months. According to him, more than 160,000 male and female students, men and women teachers, preachers, journalists in various government and military establishments will be trained on drug combating. "This is the second phase of the five-year Nibras program which was launched to immune Saudis against drug use and trafficking," he explained. Sharif said they now have 300 male and female academicians and specialists who were well-trained in the first phase of Nibras and who will work as instructors for the new trainees. "We have concluded contracts with six universities and six training centers to implement the current phase of the program and train citizens in various parts of the Kingdom so as to create a large army of specialists who will enlighten people against the hazards of drugs," he said. Sharif underlined the role of the volunteers and the non-government organizations in combating this menace and promote the concept of social responsibility. He revealed that the commission will organize a gathering by the end of this month at Nora University in Riyadh to enlighten female students on the dangers of drugs. "More than 4,000 secondary school and university female students will attend this gathering," he said. He added that an international gathering for young Saudis will be organized within the next two months to enlighten them against the perils of drugs. Sharif added that the Nibras academy plans to train more than 200,000 citizens on the dangers of narcotics every year through a number of training sessions and study courses. He said the first phase of Nibras, which continued for 18 months, focused on spreading awareness among citizens on the drug hazards. Sharif said the National Center for Addiction Consultations last year received more than 37,000 telephone calls from parents asking how to protect their children against drugs. "As a result of these calls, about 6,000 drug addicts were secretly transported to rehabilitation centers," he said.
