NRC Participates In 64th Session Of Commission On Narcotic Drugs

ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 12th Apr, 2021) The National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), a centre of excellence that collaborates with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the field of substance abuse in the middle East, is participating in the 64th session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna – which began today and concludes on 16th April, 2021.

Participating in coordination with the UAE’s permanent mission to the United Nations and other international organisations in Vienna, the NRC is set to host a virtual exhibition and a virtual side event at the CND session. The side event will highlight one of the centre’s key initiatives to elevate school awareness in collaboration with the Emirates National Schools (ENC).

The NRC’s virtual exhibition will offer a comprehensive overview of the various educational and therapeutic services provided by it for addicted patients including its high-tech treatment methods, state-of-the-art infrastructure and highly qualified medical staff. The exhibition will also provide insight into the recent scientific studies and research works carried out by NRC including the study titled, "The impact of family engagement in opioid assisted treatment: Results from a clinical controlled trial". Published recently in the International Journal of Social Psychiatry, one of the most prestigious scientific journals, the trial results indicate that patient retention can increase threefold if family members participate in the treatment process.

Commenting on the participation, Dr. Hamad Al Ghafri, Director-General of NRC, said, "Since its inception, the NRC has been working tirelessly to reinforce its status as one of the most prominent centres in addiction treatment owing to the unwavering support of our wise leadership. Through providing curative services, from practical, scientific and research perspectives, the NRC seeks to strengthen the UAE's contribution to one of the most critical medical sectors to the welfare of human societies."

"At the NRC, we are keen to share our knowledge and expertise with all countries across the globe, as the centre’s distinguished knowhow in this domain has made it a WHO collaborating centre of excellence in the field of substance abuse in the Middle East.

"Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to networking and exchanging expertise, NRC has been committed to participating in this year's virtual session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs. This articulates our priority to share the extensive expertise we have in addiction treatment with like-minded organisations around the world while learning from the latest international achievements in this area," Al Ghafri added.

Through its participation in this session, the Centre seeks to provide an overview of the preventive awareness project it carried out in collaboration with the Emirates National Schools under the theme "Integrated School Prevention and Peer education Programme". The multi-year academic programme that ran in four ENS branches according to different social and demographic parameters aimed to enhance the life skills of schoolchildren and promote positive social behaviour among them by utilising peer-to-peer learning.

The session will outline the lessons learnt and review the recommendations for future implementation. It will be headlined by Ahmed Al Bastaki, Deputy DG for Schools Operations at ENS, Dr Anas Fikri, Head of Health Education Section at NRC, Riyad Yaghi, Director of ENS Mohammed Bin Zayed City campus, as well as a student participating in the initiative.

For his part, Ahmed Al Bastaki, Deputy DG for Schools Operations at ENS, said: "We are proud of our partnership with NRC in designing and implementing this innovative educational programme. This partnership articulates our commitment towards the wise leadership’s directives to foster collaboration among the relevant entities to develop an innovative model in drug prevention. It will go a long way in supporting ENS’ continued efforts to prepare a mindful and healthy generation, while helping students shape a balanced personality across educational, scientific, health and psychological aspects.

"In collaborating with NRC, we seek to bolster students' health and wellbeing and turn them into active members of society who can fulfil their responsibilities with distinction. This aligns with our efforts to protect students and other key segments in society from the negative behaviours that may lead to addiction.