ESTIMATES from the National Survey and Morbidity study in 2019 indicated there are approximately 300,000 drug users in Malaysia. The World Health Organization reported one registered drug user usually has four unregistered users, meaning that the number of drug users in Malaysia may be as high as 1.2 million.
Persatuan Insaf Murni Malaysia (Insaf Murni) is a civil society group established in 2006 and led by its president, Dr Mohamad Khafidz Mohd Ishak. Khafidz, 56, has been treating drug users at his clinic in Kajang, Selangor since 2000. The organisation has 32 employees, 15 of whom are former drug users who have fully recovered. The group is assisted by two doctors from the government and is supported by the Health Ministry (MOH) and Malaysian Aids Council.
The staff members are trained by the Malaysian Aids Council and are issued Health Community Worker cards by MOH. Insaf Murni’s head office is in Kajang, Selangor, with additional branches named “Kabin Harapan” at the Kuala Lumpur and Pandamaran health clinics in Klang.
The primary objective of Insaf Murni is to encourage drug users to start using methadone therapy to prevent drug use and to help them return to a life of normalcy through various treatment methods, including psychosocial treatment, mindset formation, and spiritual treatment.
The close cooperation between Insaf Murni and key organisations, such as the police, MOH, the National Anti-Drugs Agency and the Malaysian Aids Council, has made the programme a success in reducing drug abuse.
Khafidz said with MOH’s help, addicts can access methadone treatment for just RM5 a day, against the high cost of drugs like heroin, which can reach RM60 to RM100 per day.
However, Khafidz expressed concern on the emergence of synthetic drugs, such as syabu, ice, and ecstasy, which cannot be treated with methadone. This growing problem, especially the increasing drug addiction among teenagers, is a worrying trend. – June 1, 2023.
A drug addict lights his cigarette while waiting to exchange used needles and syringes for sterile ones during the Needle Syringe Exchange Programme conducted by the outreach workers from Persatuan Insaf Murni at Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.Persatuan Insaf Murni outreach workers meet a drug user during the Needle Syringe Exchange Programme in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.A Persatuan Insaf Murni outreach worker (second from left) taking a blood sample from a drug user during a screening test for HIV, Hepatitis C, and Hepatitis B in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.Persatuan Insaf Murni outreach workers walking from one alley to another in Chow Kit in search of drug addicts for the Needle Syringe Exchange Programme. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.Persatuan Insaf Murni manager Muiz (third from right) trying to persuade drug addicts to join the methadone maintenance therapy during an outreach programme at a drug den in Hulu Langat, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.During an outreach programme with dedicated outreach workers from Persatuan Insaf Murni, the group encounters an addict consuming drugs at a den in Hulu Langat, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.A Persatuan Insaf Murni outreach worker taking a blood sample from a drug user at a den during a screening test for HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B in Hulu Langat, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.A Persatuan Insaf Murni outreach worker hands out a pamphlet on methadone therapy treatment to drug addicts at a den in Hulu Langat, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.Dr Mohamad Khafidz, the founder of Persatuan Insaf Murni, monitors as his patient drinks the methadone with the correct dosage at his clinic in Kajang, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.A disabled former drug addict with a one-week supply of methadone at his home in Hulu Langat, Selangor. Ex-addicts are required to visit the clinic daily to receive methadone, but there is an exception for OKU individuals who can take the medication on a weekly basis. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.An outreach worker (left) from Persatuan Insaf Murni conducting a counselling and sharing session for ex-drug users who are participating in the methadone maintenance therapy at Kabin Harapan, at the Titiwangsa health clinic in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.Police officers from the Narcotics Department and the National Anti-Drugs Agency raid a shophouse occupied by migrant workers, seizing equipment used by the addicts to consume drugs at Kuala Langat, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.Suspected drug addicts are placed in a police vehicle after a joint operation between Bukit Aman and the National Anti-Drugs Agency in Kuala Langat, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.A suspected drug addict makes his escape on a rooftop during a joint operation between Bukit Aman and the National Anti-Drugs Agency in Kuala Langat, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.Synthetic drugs seized during a police operation to combat drug trafficking are displayed in a press conference at the Bukit Aman police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.A group of school students enjoying a panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur city from Bukit Ampang after school in Kuala Lumpur. Safeguarding the younger generation from drug abuse is crucial, as they are the backbone and hope for our country’s future. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, June 1, 2023.
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