ArmenPress
July 28 2005
EAR ACUPUNCTURE TO BE USED FOR DRUG DETOXIFICATION I N ARMENIA
YEREVAN, JULY 28, ARMENPRESS: The UNDP Armenia Office said an
unprecedented five-day Training Workshop on Auricular Acupuncture
Detoxification was opened at the UN House in Yerevan today by the
Southern Caucasus Anti Drug (SCAD) Program, jointly implemented by
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the European Union.
Detoxification is the first stage of drug treatment.
The workshop is a joint initiative of the SCAD, the National
Institute of Health (NIH) of Armenia, the Narcological Clinic of
Psychiatric Medical Center of Armenia, and the Anti-Drugs Civil Union
NGO. Professionals from the Ministry of Health, National Institute of
Health, Psychiatric Center, as well as acupuncture specialists,
narcologists, and representatives of local NGOs participated in the
training. Dr. Richard Elovich, USA and Dr. Sona Tahan (Ouzounyan),
Canada, were the training coordinators. Practical part of the
trainings will be held at the Narcological Clinic through July
28-August 2, 2005. At the workshop, special training sessions will
cover issues such as location of acupuncture points, application
techniques, required clinical settings, modes of interaction with
patients/patients; there will be a demonstration session of auricular
acupuncture with patients. Participants will intensively practice
application of needle points; introduction of participants into
practice within clinical settings will be considered. In December
13-16, 2004, EU expert Mr. Patrick O’Gorman conducted a three-day
workshop on identification of two pilot projects. Representatives
from both governmental agencies and public sectors participated in
the workshop. At the workshop, a needs assessment of people with
injecting drug problems was conducted, and key interventions were
prioritized to address drug problems. As an outcome of the workshop
and further regular meetings of NGO representatives within the SCAD
NGO Networking Project, the following two pilot projects have been
developed and launched since July 1, 2005.
The Department of Intensive Narcology within the Narcological
Clinic of the Psychiatric Medical Center will be fully refurbished
and further will serve as a drug detoxification center. Making
facilities and conditions for patients better and more comfortable
and enhancing paramedical services are important in terms of demand
for drug treatment. The Center will serve for the organization of
training workshops on auricular acupuncture treatment of addictive
diseases, professional trainings and development of special training
and educational manuals for narcologists, development and release of
monthly newsletters in Armenian, posting of this information on
website, supporting physicians in scientific research
in the area of drugs, etc.
Both projects will be implemented together with the Psychiatric
Medical Center and through high-level cooperation between the
Government of Armenia and local and international organizations.
Outputs of both projects then will be presented to the Southern
Caucasus Regional Conference that will take place in Tbilisi, May
2006. Since its foundation, the EU/UNDP-funded SCAD Program aims to
support the Governments of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijani in their
efforts to reduce illicit drug trafficking from and through the
region towards EU Member State. Another issue of the SCAD Program is
the early prevention of drug abuse. The 4th phase of the SCAD Program
launched on May 12, 2004 when a Memorandum of Understanding on SCAD-4
was signed between the Government of Armenia and UNDP.