Minister of Social Affairs Does Not Want to Establish Another Drug Rehab Facility, This is the Reason

TAKALAR (February 12, 2020) - Minister of Social Affairs Juliari P. Batubara is concerned about the widespread impact of drug use and HIV/AIDS in the community. Social Affairs Minister reminded the important role of the family in fortifying from negative influences from outside.

 "I remind parents to take care of their children. Those who have junior high school children must start to be careful. Don't get the wrong association. It is better to prevent than to regret that their children are exposed to drugs," said Juliari, in Takalar, South Sulawesi Province, Wednesday (12/02/2020).

Accompanied by Director General of Social Rehabilitation Edi Suharto, the Minister of Social Affairs inaugurated the Social Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Drug Abuse (LRSKP) NAPZA and Social Rehabilitation Center for People with HIV (LRSODH) "Pangurangi" in Takalar, South Sulawesi.

The inauguration marks the operation of this inclusive national institution, which is a buffer for Eastern Indonesia in terms of social rehabilitation for victims of drug abuse and people with HIV / AIDS (PLWHA).

Furthermore, the Minister of Social Affairs invited all parties to seriously prevent and eradicate the illegal circulation of drugs. The Minister is concerned about the condition of detention centers which mostly exceed capacity, including those with drug problems.

"Not all those who have problems with drugs should be punished and detained. Dealers and drivers may be able to. But users, as someone who is not a legal expert, I think can undergo rehabilitation," said the Minister. 

The Minister hopes that the Ministry of Social Affairs will no longer build this kind of drug social rehabilitation facility. "That is, I hope that one day there will be no more people who have problems with drugs. That is my hope," said the Minister. 

On the other hand, the Minister revealed that the current social affairs ministry program policy focuses on increasing the capacity and quality of human resources of beneficiaries through social rehabilitation programs and handling the poor. "One of the current social rehabilitation programs is the handling of former drug victims and people with HIV," said the Minister.

The inauguration was marked by the signing of the UPT "Pangurangi" inscription in Takalar from the Minister of Social Affairs to the Director General of Social Rehabilitation, as a symbol of the start of operation of this institution. 

The ceremony marking the operationalization of the workshop was marked by cutting the ribbon at the entrance gate of the two workshops. The Minister of Social Affairs and his entourage also took a close look at the facilities of the two workshops.

About  New Center

Standing on 6.6 hectares of land, LRSKP NAPZA and LRSODH "Pangurangi" in Takalar are present to provide services that refer to the New Platform 5 Cluster Social Rehabilitation Program (PROGRES 5.0 NP).

This program focuses on social rehabilitation services that are holistic, systematic and standardized for 5 clusters of Social Welfare Service Recipients (PPKS) which include victims of drug abuse, children who need special protection, persons with disabilities, the elderly and the persons with social deviance issues and victims of trafficking.

Director General of Social Rehabilitation Edi Suharto stated that the inauguration of LRSKP NAPZA and LRSODH "Pangurangi" in Takalar was a response to the "Drug Emergency" program launched by the President. The "Drug Emergency" program was created due to the results of a survey by BNN and the University of Indonesia Health Research Center (Puslitkes UI) which estimated that in 2015 drug abusers in Indonesia were 4.1 million people or 2.2% of the total population.

"Takalar was chosen as the location of a social rehabilitation institution based on the mandate of Law Number 23 of 2014 on Regional Government, which states that the Central Government has the authority / obligation to organize social rehabilitation for victims of drugs and HIV," said Edi.

In addition, BNN data shows that the rate of drug abuse in South Sulawesi is high, namely 138,937 people or 2.27% of the total population in 2015, although this figure then decreased to 1.95% or as many as 133,503 people in 2017.

"We need to understand together that, because this institution belongs to the Central Government, this Center is a national institution that is inclusive. This means that services to drug abusers and ODH are not only located in South Sulawesi, but include other provinces, especially as a buffer for the

Eastern part of Indonesia in terms of social rehabilitation for victims of drug abuse and ODH," said Edi Suharto.

The workshop, which began construction in 2017, will provide rehabilitation services to victims of drug abuse, in this case called beneficiaries, either referred by the local Social Office or by the victim's family. Of course, the beneficiaries will go through several stages of assessment to determine what rehabilitation is needed by the beneficiaries.

Public Relations Bureau

Ministry of Social Affairs RI