SANCA brings positive change in community

THE South African National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence (SANCA) is gearing up for their
first golf day at the Royal Durban Golf Club, on March 15.

The golf day is aimed at raising funds for the institution’s community programmes. The 68-year-old non-government organisation has been a pillar of strength for many families and community members battling substance abuse or who are on the verge of becoming addicts or relapsing.

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The fundraising event will enable them to do more of these programmes to keep the institution running but also to have more means to give back to the community.

“The golf day is also to show the community and potential sponsors what we are about,” said Hussain.

The organisation says that although they receive some incentive from the government like any other NGO, it is never enough to run such a big institution. The institution currently takes in patients who stay for a period of 21 days, depending on the severity of their cases, and also attends to outpatients.

SANCA says their emphasis is on enhancing the quality of life and restoring the self-respect and dignity of persons affected by chemical dependency.

Their treatment offers a variety of intervention strategies, focusing on psychosocial assessment, motivational counselling, drug testing at different levels during the treatment process, a detoxification programme, ranging from five to 10 days, and medical lectures, among others.

The treatment is carried out by a team of multi-disciplined health personnel who are board-certified
medical practitioners and psychiatrists, social workers, nurses and part-time occupational therapists, plus an outsourced service provider who provides nutritious and wholesome meals for their clients as per their dietary requirements and individual development plans.

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The institution’s director, Fathima Hussain, says, “A lot of work has been put into making this institution what it is today. It is not easy running it, and we need all types of assistance to keep
it running at its current standards,” said Hussain.

Besides taking in patients with medical aids or those who pay upfront, it runs a programme where they assess people and refer them to government institutions where they will get the
necessary treatment.

They also have a programme for outpatients who come on a daily basis to meet with the in-house social workers to prevent them from heading into a full-blown addiction or relapsing.
Hussain says they have a free three-bed programme which they use for patients who are in need of treatment but are unable to pay – as a way of giving back to the community.

They emphasised that they only take three people per month, depending on availability.

Inpatient Programme

Their Inpatient Treatment Centre, fondly referred to as ‘Lulama’, which means ‘Recover’ in isiZulu, is set in a leafy garden and provides specialised treatment services to persons with substance abuse addictions, including alcohol, legal and illegal substances and over-the-counter drugs.

According to SANCA, the voluntary treatment programme incorporates a three-week intensive programme followed by 23 months of aftercare.

Outpatient programme

SANCA’s outpatient programme renders services on two levels of service delivery: prevention and early intervention. According to SANCA, the programmes offered are in accordance with the stages of addiction.

“All our programmes are voluntary – no client is coerced into treatment,” said Hussain.

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