Solace Asia is a Malaysian-based drug and alcohol rehab and was the first of its type to be established in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. The

drug rehabilitation Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general intent i ...

facility is headquartered in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

and

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

Background

Malaysian media in recent times has discussed the possibility of the country promoting

medical tourism Medical tourism refers to people traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavailable a ...

in the country. One area of medical tourism that the country had little coverage was

drug therapy Pharmacotherapy is therapy using pharmaceutical drugs, as distinguished from therapy using surgery (surgical therapy), radiation (radiation therapy), movement (physical therapy), or other modes. Among physicians, sometimes the term ''medical ther ...

and drug rehabilitation. After a gap in the market, Solace Asia was launched as a 50-room treatment facility in Sabah, Malaysia. After its launch, it was stated that the treatment facility would offer "treatment for chemical addictions such as drugs and behavioural ones such as

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

besides depression and stress". The patients include high-profile individuals battling addiction from Southeast Asia, including countries like Singapore. Originally headquartered in Kota Kinabalu, to cater to the increasing demand for addiction rehab services in peninsular Malaysia, in October 2019 the organization has relocated its facility to Kuala Lumpur and rebranded itself under the new name of Solace Asia from Solace Sabah.

Treatment

The facility focuses predominantly on

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use oft ...

. Statistics produced by the treatment facility received coverage in the Malaysian media when they stated that out of every ten people who took recreational drugs, three of them would require treatment for it at some point in their lives. The comments came during a speech at

Universiti Malaysia Sabah , image = Seal of Universiti Malaysia Sabah.png , image_size = , caption = Seal , motto = ''Bertekad Cemerlang'' (Malay) Jawi: , mottoeng = Strive to Excel , ...

. During the same speech, they also spoke about how impressionable teenagers were when taking drugs. In August 2015, an additional clinic opened in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. The facility would run in parallel with the existing facilities in Kuala Lumpur, catering for people with drug and alcohol problems. The treatments provided would include assessments for addiction and

co-occurring disorders Dual diagnosis (also called co-occurring disorders (COD) or dual pathology) is the condition of having a mental illness and a comorbid substance use disorder. There is considerable debate surrounding the appropriateness of using a single categor ...

such as depression and

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inap ...

. It was stated during an interview that the treatments were focused on offering a competitive price when compared to western drug rehabilitation facilities. This was partly due to the strategy for its foundation and the growth of

medical tourism in Malaysia According to the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), Malaysia reportedly received 641,000 foreign patients in 2011, 728,800 in 2012, 881,000 in 2013, 882,000 in 2014, 859,000 in 2015, and 921,000 in 2016. Malaysia's medical tourism statist ...

. Unlike many similar treatment facilities, Solace Asia stated that any treatment provided was a lifelong treatment, providing regular follow-ups. These follow-ups are often between once every one to three months.

Conferences

Solace Asia had hosted the Fourth International Asia Pacific Behavioural and Addiction Medicine (APBAM) Conference at the Medicine and Health Science Faculty in

Universiti Malaysia Sabah , image = Seal of Universiti Malaysia Sabah.png , image_size = , caption = Seal , motto = ''Bertekad Cemerlang'' (Malay) Jawi: , mottoeng = Strive to Excel , ...

. State Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad stated that Sabah was 3rd in highest in Alcohol Consumption in Malaysia, with Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak being first and second. Solace Asia was an organising member at the conference.

References

External links

* Hospitals in Sabah Hospital buildings completed in 2014 Buildings and structures in Kota Kinabalu {{coord missing, Malaysia