Ahsania Mission Female Drug Treatment Centre marks 10th anniversary

Ahsania Mission Female Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre (AMFDTRC) celebrated its 10th anniversary.  

A press conference was held on this regard at the orchid conference room of Dhaka Ahsania Mission Health Sector office in Shyamoli on Monday, says a press release.  Iqbal Masud, Director, Health and WASH Sector of DAM presided over the press conference.

Center Manager Farzana Ferdous gave a welcome speech at the press conference. Rakhi Ganguly, Senior Psychologist of Health of DAM moderated the event.
In his speech Iqbal Masud said, the treatment process of female substance users is quite complicated and long term process.

Special attention should be given to the treatment and prevention of increasing number of female substance users in the country. In this regard, parents and policy makers have to play a pivotal role. He also added that this is the only treatment centre managed by all women staff in the country which is making relentless efforts to ensure the safety and quality of the treatment. The centre offers vocational courses, enterprise development and life skills training to enhance the rehabilitation process for clients.

AMFDTRC was established in April 2014, which is the only full-fledged and comprehensive treatment center for female in the country. Since its inception, this treatment center has been providing treatment to female for substance use disorder, and mental health problems. The center has been providing evidence-based treatment successfully to the female substance users for over the last 10 years to reduce the anguish of substance uses.

Counselor Jannatul Ferdous Majumder of Health Sector of Dhaka Ahsania Mission presented the keynote paper. Meanwhile, the report shows that a total of 762 female have received treatment services since 2014 from AMFDTRC.

Among female receiving treatment, 39% were concurrent users of multiple substances, including 39% of yaba users, 39% of marijuana users, and 39% of hypnotics, alcohol, intravenous drug users, and other substance users. Thats an increase compared to last years data from AMFDTRC (33% taking yaba, 28% cannabis, 16% hypnosis). Schizophrenia 35%, mood disorder 26%, bipolar 12%, depression 10%, OCD 6% and rest were suffering from other mental disorders.

Among the 762 women, 463 were treated for substance use problems and 299 for psychological problems. Data analysis showed that 70% of 762 patients completed treatment. 22% were non-completion and 4% patients were referred for various reasons. At present 4% clients are under treatment in the treatment center.

On 12th April 2014, Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, MP, while serving then as the State Minister  inaugurated the AMFDTRC, which is the first and only licensed female drug treatment and rehabilitation center in the country managed by an all- female workforce and awarded first prize from the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) as the best treatment center in 2023 in Bangladesh. The center is fully air-conditioned with all modern amenities and facilities.