BUTUAN CITY – A P40 million first drug rehabilitation and treatment center in Caraga Region will rise in 2010.

The first government-run facility will have a 50-bed capacity and set to serve as a drug treatment facility in Northeastern Mindanao.

The 40-hectare drug rehabilitation and treatment center will be located in Surigao City.

This project materialized after the city government of Surigao and Department of Health (DoH) recently forged a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the construction of the said facility.

The lot was donated by the city government of Surigao, said City Mayor Pons Casurra.

To start the project, the DoH in Caraga Region immediately provided the first tranche in the amount of P7.5 million.

The target completion of the construction will be in 2010, added Casurra.

“This is one of the problems of Caraga Region, and now this structure will finally rise,” further added Casurra.

In relation to public health, a P2.5 million out-patient treatment and rehabilitation clinic of the Caraga Regional Hospital built in Surigao City also started serving the Caraganons.

The outpatient treatment and rehabilitation clinic is already accepting patients for detoxification before admission to the drug rehabilitation and treatment center.

These two big projects is part of President Arroyo’s health program, it was gathered.

It was further gathered that the program is to prevent and further curb drug problems and provide rehabilitation and treatment to victims of drug abuse in this part of Mindanao.