On Tuesday 16th April 2019 selected participants from The Drug Law Enforcement Agency The Gambia (DLEAG), Ministry of Health, Department of Social Welfare, Religious Leaders, Supportive Activist Foundation (SAF), Journalist Against Illicit Drug Trafficking and Organised Crime (JAIDTOC) etc completed the second cycle of Training of the Trainers (ToT) on the Universal Substance Use Disorder Treatment Curriculum (UTC) at the Senegambia Beach Hotel from the 8 - 16 April 2019.
This cycle of the training covered UTC 3 (Common Co- Occurring Medical and Mental Disorders - An Overview for Addiction Professionals) and UTC 4 (Basic Counseling Skills for Addiction Professionals.
The training was organized by DLEAG in partnership with the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Program (DAP) with support from the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
According to officials, the training aims at building capacity of core master trainers on the universal treatment curriculum. These master trainers will then serve as a resource hub for training local stakeholders on the UTC.
The event brought together participants from various institutions in the country. During the training participants were introduced to subjects like Common Co-Occurring Mental and Medical Disorder, assessment and treatment options and models, core counseling skills, psycho education groups for clients and families among other things.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Deputy Director General of DLEAG, Mr. Tijan Bah said that the Gambia is fortunate to be among the few countries within the region selected by partners for the implementation of this training curriculum. He enjoined participants to take the training seriously, make best use of the skills acquired from the training and share knowledge gained with others. ‘this training will help broaden your understanding of substance use disorder treatment and related matters in line with best practices, it will help improve your performance and give you more knowledge required to help your patients said Mr. Bah.
According to DDG Tijan Bah, the Gambia like many other countries in the region lack specialized drug treatment facilities and inadequate capacity of specialized drug addiction specialist. He further said that with training of this nature, they can bridge the gap in terms of human capacity required to treat addicts and those suffering from Drug Induced Psychosis (DIP).
Finally, he assured the trainers and participants of the agency continued support and collaboration in bridling drugs and associated menace from our society while calling on the public to support the agency in this noble crusade.
The complete training cycle is expected to last a whole year with two curriculums covered in every cycle. In January 2019 during the first cycle, participant covered UTC 1 (Physiology and Pharmacology for addiction Professionals) and UTC 2 (Treatment for Substance Use Disorder – The Continuum of Care for Addiction Professionals).
The third cycle will cover UTC 5 (Screening, Intake, Assessment, Treatment Planning and Documentation for Addiction Professionals and UTC 6 (Case Management for Addiction Professionals).
