TNAG-0784-FCO40-988-Application-of-international-labour-conventions-to-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 114

CONFIDENTAL

THE GOVERNMENT SUBVENTED SOCIETY FOR THE AID AND REHABILITATION OF DRUG ADDICTS, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PERSONS UNDER TREATMENT OR

IN AFTERCARE, (FOLLOWING WORD UNDERLINED) DAILY, AS AT 31ST MARCH THIS YEAR, WAS 15,500 COMPARED WITH ABOUT 6,000 A DAY FIVE

YEARS AGO. IN ADDITION, 600 ADDICTS ARE REGISTERED. FOR TREATMENT AT AN OUT-PATIENT CLINIC USING ACUPUNCTURE AND ELECTRO-STIMULATION ON A ONE-YEAR EXPERIMENTAL BASIS ENDING ON 30TH JUNE 1978.

IN THE FIELD OF DRUG ADDICTION, THE COMPARABILITY OF SUCCESS RATES BETWEEN VARIOUS FORMS OF TREATMENT HAS HITHERTO BEEN A DIFFICULT AND UNREWARDING EXERCISE, DUE TO THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF ASSESSMENT USED IN EACH. IN JULY/AUGUST THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, WE SHALL RECEIVE FIRST PRINT-OUTS FROM THE NEW COMPUTERISED

CENTRAL REGISTRY OF DRUG ADDICTS (STARTED ON 1ST SEPTEMBER 1976)

WHICH WILL GIVE US A MORE ACCURATE INDICATION, INTER ALIA, OF THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR VARIOUS TREATMENT PROGRAMMES.

AT PRESENT, PRISONS DEPARTMENT STATISTICS SHOW THAT, UP TO THE

END OF 1977, 10,162 MALE AND FEMALE DISCHARGEES FROM THE DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTRES HAD BEEN SUBJECT TO THE STATUTORY

ONE-YEAR PERIOD OF AFTER-CARE SINCE 1969 WHEN THE PROGRAMME BEGAN.

SIXTY ONE PERCENT OF THE MALES AND SEVENTY FOUR PERCENT OF THE

FEMALES REMAINED DRUG-FREE AND WERE NOT CONVICTED OF ANY CRIMINAL

OFFENCES DURING THE ONE-YEAR PERIOD. A RANDOM SAMPLE FOR A

FURTHER TWO YEARS ON TEN PERCENT OF THE DISCHARGEES INDICATED A

FORTY ONE POINT FIVE PERCENT SUCCESS RATE FOR MALES AND SIXTY TWO PERCENT FOR FEMALES. AS FAR AS SARDA IS CONCERNED, FIGURES FOR 1977 SHOW THAT THIRTY SEVEN PERCENT OF DISCHARGEES WHO, COMPLETED

THE FULL TREATMENT COURSE OF FIVE MONTHS, HAD ABSTAINED FROM 'DRUGS AT THE END OF THEIR STIPULATED TWO YEAR PERIOD OF AFTERCARE,

COMPARED WITH THIRTY EIGHT PERCENT IN 1976. FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT

COMPLETE THE FULL TREATMENT COURSE, THE ABSTINENCE RATE WAS FOURTE

PERCENT. NO MEANINGFUL FIGURES ARE YET AVAILABLE FOR THE

METHADONE PROGRAMMES ON ACCOUNT OF A NEW METHOD OF ASSESSING

RETAINED AND DROP-OUT CASES INTRODUCED OVER A SIX MONTH PERIOD

IN 1977,

MACLE HOSE

FILES

HRGD (6)

OLA

PS/LORD GORONWY ROBERTS

MR CORMOXA

MR. MURRAY

COPIES

то

HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON

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CONFIDENTIAL