Abu Dhabi hosts a global conference to tackle addiction

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the conference of the World Association of Treatment and Rehabilitation Specialists for Psychotropic Substances abusers will start tomorrow in Abu Dhabi, for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa, which is organized by the National Rehabilitation Center in cooperation with The Office of International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement Affairs of the US Department of State, and the World Association of Psychotropic Substances Treatment and Rehabilitation Specialists, under the slogan "Uniting the efforts of the international community to confront the challenge of addiction", at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center "ADNEC" from 12 to 16 May 2022.

The Director-General of the Center, Dr. Hamad Abdullah Al-Ghafri, stressed, during a press conference held today, that the conference seeks to build a global network of strategic partnerships between international institutions, organizations and specialists, and agree on mechanisms for cooperation and to strengthen these partnerships, and it constitutes an opportunity to exchange knowledge about scientific and research developments in the field of addiction as well as treatments. And modern preventive interventions that have been proven effective, and the best global experiences and practices in this aspect.

The conference is expected to attract more than 1,000 specialists and researchers in the fields of addiction disorders and its preventive, curative and rehabilitative programs from all over the world. The conference includes presenting 80 scientific symposiums dedicated to modern research and studies over three days, accompanied by 25 workshops and 15 international training programs in all disciplines. Relevant over five days, in addition to the conference work in virtual reality, which lasts for 7 days, around the clock, taking into account participants from different timescales, with a total of 150 hours of broadcasting, making it one of the longest conferences in the field of addressing addiction in virtual reality.

From a scientific point of view, the National Rehabilitation Center participates in the work of the conference with seven seminars to present research and scientific presentations launched by the center recently: Smoking patterns among patients receiving treatment at the National Center for Rehabilitation and the health effects of the abuse of psychotropic substances and an evaluation of the comprehensive guiding approach to treatment and nursing in the field of addiction treatment in the Arab region and stigma In addition to an exploratory study dealing with behavioral addiction, and finally studying the impact of addiction on the family, which aims to identify the most prominent challenges that the family faces due to the illness of one of its members and the special challenges it faces, with the aim of launching programs that help families to overcome these challenges..

The center will also participate in a scientific presentation on its career since its inception in 2002 until now. The center will offer a specialized training course in Arabic, which is the “Comprehensive Guiding Approach to Treatment.” Which deals with the medical aspects of drugs and toxins

The work of this conference is accompanied by a series of events, such as announcing and honoring the winners of the International Association of Psychotropic Substances Treatment and Rehabilitation Specialists Award, which is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of reducing the demand for psychotropic substances.

 At the conclusion of the press conference, Dr. Hamad Al-Ghafri said, “The conference is the first global event of this size in the field of addiction disorders sciences and programs, which has been organized in a presence since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, and that the scientific destination of the world after controlling the pandemic is the city of Abu Dhabi, this indicates confidence The international community in the United Arab Emirates and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and their recognition of their impressive success in controlling the pandemic, as well as confirming the leadership of the National Rehabilitation Center regionally and globally as a professional national institution with global partnerships and accreditations specialized in this field.

He added, "The conference also highlights the distinguished infrastructure of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which enables it to host international events in various sectors, especially the health sector, and supports efforts aimed at making Abu Dhabi an open destination for scientific activities and events, especially in the post-Covid-19 pandemic." It attracts the world's attention to the elements of medical tourism in it, and reflects the emirate's keenness to provide the latest medical practices and technologies based on scientific research and innovation in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of addiction.

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