Doctors tapped to play key role in Saudi anti-drug addiction program

Participants pose for a souvenir picture during the closing of the training program on the "Role of Doctors in Preventing Drugs and Raising Awareness Among Youth" in Riyadh on Thursday. (SPA)

RIYADH: As part of the Nebras national project, the National Committee for Narcotics Control (NCNC) on Thursday concluded the “Role of Doctors in Preventing Drugs and Raising Awareness Among Youth” program that was launched on Wednesday.
The director of general department of education at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Fahd Al-Omary, said that the program will shift this experience to hospitals and medical centers and will this year focus on the signs and symptoms of drug abuse and ways to reach the Al-Rasheed consulting center.
Saeed Al-Sariha, Nebras executive director and director of studies and information at the department, said that this program falls into the national program to build capacities in prevention and facing the scourge of drugs.
Given that the doctors’ specialized medical knowledge allows them to play a pioneering role in raising awareness in society, this program was launched to introduce participants to the local scourge of drugs and discuss the ways of prevention, and the doctors’ major role in promoting awareness against drug and psychotropic substance use among the youth.
Abdul Ilah Al-Sharif, the secretary-general of the NCNC and chairman of Nebras, presented certificates to participating doctors.
Al-Sharif said that the participating doctors have a great experience in the medical field and that “we should work together and combine efforts to prevent and protect the youth from drug dangers.”