Rwanda National Police

Combating human and drug trafficking should be prioritized as a regional collective effort to ensure the well-being of the regional citizens.

Leonard Onyanyi, an expert in Peace and Security from the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania said this on December 11 while touring Neuropsychiatric hospital, CARAES in Ndera, Gasabo district.

Onyanyi is part of the team of ten heads of anti-narcotics and human trafficking units in the five EAC states that visited the neuropsychiatric hospital as part of their five-day meeting in Rwanda that started on Monday.

“We learned a lot from the tour but particularly the interdependence between Rwanda National Police and Health facilities including CARAES Ndera Neuropsychiatric Hospital in helping people diagnosed with drugs and narcotics related disorders,” Onyanyi said.

He added, “EAC member states can learn a lot from this harmonized way of fighting drugs and narcotics and assisting those affected.”

Hindu Ibrahim from Tanzania, said, “I was impressed by the good services that are offered at this health facility but mostly how patients are handled and rehabilitated. This is a great approach other EAC member states can borrow.”

Charles Nkubili, the Director General of Ndera neuropsychiatric hospital, who received the officials, said that until October this year, 13.2 percent of the patients were diagnosed with drugs and narcotics related disorders, adding that some of them are from other EAC states.

Nkubili, however, said the hospital faces a challenge of patients from other EAC states who, after treatment fail to cater for the medication expenses “because they are vulnerable and unidentified.”

He called for the establishment of a regional insurance body to cater for such medical expenses of unidentified and vulnerable patients.

During the tour, the delegates also interacted with patients from their countries and pledged to help them.

The team later visited the hospital’s psychotherapeutic center, Icyizere in Kicukiro District that mostly assists those diagnosed with drugs and narcotics mental illness where they were explained on various services offered including clinic psychology, pharmacy and laboratory tests.

The meeting sought to collectively look for a harmonized approach against drugs and human trafficking in the bloc through information exchange, getting acquainted with policies and practices against the two security challenges and explore ways of expediting investigations, among others.