The Social Welfare and Health and Environmental Protection Committee of the Legislative Yuan invited Minister of Health and Welfare Shi Chongliang to give a special report on "The effectiveness of harm reduction programs, the amount of drug addiction treatment, and the improvement of drug borders, schools, and related prevention measures." (Photo by reporter Tian Yuhua)
The recent Taipei mayoral election focused on drug harm reduction policies. The blue camp misinterpreted the harm reduction policies and claimed that social workers were poisoning the community, which triggered the anger of the medical and social welfare circles. Democratic Progressive Party legislator Lin Yueqin angrily criticized that the trust that the medical and social welfare circles had spent decades building was burned with a few election words. The KMT legislators' propaganda truck turned the complex addiction problem into an election slogan, "The propaganda truck can drive away, but who will clean up the damage left behind?"
A few days ago, KMT Taipei mayoral candidate Chiang Wanan's misinterpretation of the drug harm reduction policy sparked anger from all walks of life. Li Yanxiu, the spokesperson of his campaign team, caused another wave of controversy due to his remarks about "social workers getting poisoned". KMT legislator Chen Jinghui arranged a special report on drugs at the Legislative Yuan Health and Environmental Committee today and invited Minister of Health and Welfare Shi Chongliang and other officials to attend the report. This was also questioned as a "private torture chamber."
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"It took a lot of effort to build trust, but it was destroyed by a few election words!" Lin Yueqin denounced that recently, social workers, medical groups, and social welfare groups have been coming to her to express their uneasiness about the controversy and misinterpretation caused by the recent election. The KMT legislator's propaganda truck turned the complex addiction problem into a simple election slogan, but she did not want the propaganda truck to drive away, but who will clean up the damage left behind.
Lin Yueqin emphasized that addiction prevention and treatment requires "hospitals to take care of the disease, and the community to take care of life." Addicts are patients, but the recent political rhetoric may make addicts afraid to ask for help. Social workers who have always been solving social problems have also been misinterpreted as those who create social problems because of the election. This Taipei mayoral election has aroused dissatisfaction and anger from many professional groups. Jiang Wanan should face up to the concerns of professional groups.
Democratic Progressive Party legislator Wang Zhengxu also emphasized that addiction is a disease, and prevention and treatment must be scientific. He does not want to be smeared because of politics. Drugs and addiction issues can easily cause public anxiety, and even lead to misunderstandings due to information gaps. Some opposition party legislators have fabricated and distorted political language to misinterpret Shen Boyang's past comments. "As a doctor, I think this approach is very undesirable."
Shi Chongliang said that harm reduction and anti-drugs are not inconsistent. Anti-drugs are right, and drug addiction harm reduction can also go hand in hand. Addicts who want to quit drug addiction need to go through a long process. The Ministry of Health and Welfare reduces the spread of infectious diseases and health risks by providing clean needles. On the other hand, through alternative treatments such as Meshadong, addicts trapped in the underground drug market can return to the public health medical system and receive drug addiction treatment assistance.
In addition, Shi Chongliang emphasized that one of the keys to the success of the harm reduction program is the accessibility of services. Currently, half of the places that provide clean needles are community pharmacies, and half are health clinics or health centers. Medical institutions are also built in the community. In order to make addicts willing to return to the public health system, the privacy of individual cases is also valued during the promotion of the harm reduction program.
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