Chairperson of the National Drug Agency (NDA), Lubna Mohamed Zahir Hussain has revealed that about 100 people are left to be admitted for treatment among those sentenced to rehabilitation.

Lubna said that when the government took office, more than 700 were sentenced to rehabilitation, but now that number has been reduced to 150. She added that efforts are currently underway to admit the remaining people into treatment programs.

Lubna said that the courts are sentencing a large number of people every day. She also mentioned that the treatment centers provided by NDA's treatment system are not that large. She said that although people could not be admitted for treatment at the same speed as the sentencing, they are working very promptly to admit people for treatment.

Lubna said that to expedite the process of admitting people for treatment, the NDA board has created a special task force, and that work will now be carried out by that task force.

Speaking about the remand operation, Lubna said that more than 100 drug users have been admitted into the treatment system so far. Lubna said these individuals were taken from the streets and residences of the capital Malé City as well as outlying islands.

NDA and Maldives Police Service (MPS) jointly launched a special operation on 22 October 2024 last year to admit drug users into the treatment system.

While no specific date has been set to end the operation, under the operation, drug users who beg on the streets, those involved in theft and robbery, those who linger in an intoxicated state on the streets, as well as homeless people sleeping in mosques will be brought into the treatment system and provided with the necessary care.

Currently, Drug Offender Remand Centers or treatment centers for drug users are located in Himmafushi island of Kaafu atoll and Hulhumalé. Solving the drug epidemic and saving Maldivians from it is among the social issues that the government is giving the highest priority to resolve.