The Attitude of Police Force in Facilitating Access to Health Services to People who use Narcotic Drugs in Tanzania
The study aimed to examine the role of police force in facilitating access the health services to people who use Narcotic drugs in Tanzania. Specifically, the study aimed to identify health related services available to drug abusers in Tanzania, examine the attitude of Police towards people who abuse drugs and establish whether attitude of Police hinders drug abusers access to health services. Case study research design guided the study. Face to face interviews with respondents was used to collect primary data using structured a questionnaire. Secondary data were also collected, this involved systematic identification, location and analysis of documents containing information related to the subject matter. Findings show that the attitude of majority of police officers towards facilitating access to treatment among drug abusers is negative and it hinders such drug abusers to access treatment. The main reason is that majority of police officers are not aware of the current policy on treatment of drug abusers. The study recommends that there should be an effective coordination between opioid dependence treatment systems and the criminal justice system. Medical Assisted Treatment services should actively involve police officers in the planning, implementation and monitoring of drug dependence treatment services. There should be clear definition of the role of Police Officers in facilitating access to treatment for drug abusers.
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