Africa-Press – Mauritius. The fourth meeting of the High-Level Drugs and HIV Council held, today, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis, was chaired by the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.
The meeting aimed at taking stock of the progress made pertaining to the implementation of measures and actions to fight drug trafficking and substance abuse in the country.
In a statement, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of this meeting as the situation concerning the drug scourge is constantly evolving, and hence the need for relevant authorities to adapt accordingly.
He underlined that recommendations outlined in the report of the Commission of inquiry on drugs were reviewed during the meeting, and recalled that several of these recommendations and measures have already been implemented.
Other recommendations, he said, have been approved by Government and are in the process of being implemented. He further stated that the overall situation concerning the drug scourge was on the agenda, as well as figures and statistics concerning drug consumption in the country.
He underlined that institutions such as the Forensic Science Laboratory have now acquired modern equipment and trained their personnel so as to enable tests with regards to synthetic drugs to be carried out efficiently.
The Prime Minister also indicated that a survey is currently ongoing, with the support of an agency of the United Nations, so as to take stock of the situation regarding drug users.
The survey aims at contacting drug users, without exposing their identity, so that relevant authorities can have a better idea of the situation in the country, he said.
Moreover, Mr Jugnauth observed that the work being carried out by the Drug Offenders Administrative Panel was also discussed and same will be at the agenda of the next meeting so as to evaluate the progress made.
The Prime Minister further stressed that there is a need to look for other alternatives and modes of dispensing methadone, which is used to reduce drug addiction.
He added that drug users are patients who need to overcome an addiction, and as such, they must be able to receive treatment like other patients in health institutions.
With regards to HIV, Prime Minister Jugnauth stated that progress has been made as regards programmes already implemented. He nevertheless cautioned that the financing aspect must not be neglected so as to ensure that these programmes continue to yield expected positive results.
He stated that emphasis must be laid on the youth so as to prevent drug abuse among this group. ‘We must encourage them to practice healthy activities in order to prevent them from consuming any types of drugs, and I hope that we receive support from international institutions and the United Nations in this endeavour’, he added.
