The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Archbishop of Dhaka Paulinus Costa yesterday said that only love and care could bring about positive changes in the life of the drug addicted people.

Addressing an international conference 'Drug Treatment Organisations: Sustainability, Quality and Diversity' in the city he said the drug addicts also have equal rights to all levels of care.

Caritas Bangladesh and Bangladesh Rehabilitation and Assistance Centre for Addicts (BARACA), in cooperation with Caritas Germany International Department with financial support of the German Government organised the three-day-long workshop.

The Archbishop said, "There are multidimensional affects of drugs in the world today. Drug addiction is one of the main causes of the disastrous situation of human being. Around 205 million people use banned drugs, which is 5 per cent of the total population."

He said the person, family, society, country and the world as a whole are badly affected by the huge number of drug users. "Drug use, specially the injecting drug use fuels the rapid spread of the disastrous disease like HIV and hepatitis. This problem cannot be solved by a person or an organisation or a country alone. It needs the united cooperation of all," he said.

Speaking in the seminar the German Ambassador in Bangladesh Frank Meyke described his country's contribution to Bangladesh's health sector.

He said, "One of the three focal sectors of German-Bangladesh intergovernmental Development cooperation is health. Germany substantially contributes to the sector-wide approach of the Health Nutrition and Population Sector Programme of Bangladesh."

Md Yousuf Ali, Additional Director General, Department of Narcotics Control, Dr. Benedict Alo D' Rozario, Executive Director, Caritas Bangladesh; Robi T Purification, Director, BARACA; Dr Efrem Milanese, Consultant, Caritas Germany and Angela Gartner of Caritas Germany spoke on the inaugural ceremony.

Dr D'Rozario quoting an estimation of Lancer said, "Around 16 million people of the world inject illegal drugs and nearly one in five of them have the AIDS virus. Nearly one in five IDUs may have HIV."

Robi said, " Drug abuse is not only a problem of Bangladesh or Asia it is a big problem of the world. A drug addict needs longer time to grow confidence and need socialisation to stay drug free. So there is no alternative to remain drug free without proper guidance, counselling, treatment of rehab centers."

A total of 11 specialists from six countries namely Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Germany, and Bangladesh participating in the workshop.