UAE: Smart bracelet launched to help drug addicts rejoin society

Sharjah - The device will enable users to call up rehabilitation centres for help at any time.

By Afkar Abdullah

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Reuters
Reuters

Published: Sun 4 Jul 2021, 4:19 PM

Last updated: Sun 4 Jul 2021, 4:24 PM

Authorities in Sharjah recently launched a Dh90,000-programme that uses smart bracelets to monitor recovering drug addicts.

Lieutenant Sara Al Zarouni, the Director of the Special Rehabilitation Centre, Sharjah Police, said the initiative has been launched as part of an innovative programme to combat drug addiction in the emirate.


The project’s primary aim is to reintegrate drug addicts with the social mainstream by helping them stay at home and receive family support to overcome their habit. The project also aims to achieve the Ministry of Interior’s strategic goals to further enhance innovation and quality of life in the UAE.

Lieutenant Al Zarouni pointed out that the smart bracelet would solve the challenges rehabilitation centres face between an addict’s exit from their facility and the end of their treatment.


She listed several features of the GPS-enabled smart bracelet, including taking an addict’s picture if requested by the rehabilitation centre, instant data synchronisation and real-time notifications.

An addict using the smart bracelet can also call up rehabilitation centres for help at any point in time, she added.

The Sharjah Police have assigned special teams, comprising doctors, nurses, social workers and psychiatrists, to support recovering addicts.

The force has obtained the intellectual property rights (IPR) of the smart bracelet and is in the process of getting a patent for the first-of-its-kind initiative.

The first phase of the project will apply to 50 healthy people. The smart bracelet is undergoing a testing process and won’t be used during this phase.

The Drug Imprint is also a crucial part of the initiative, helping track down the source of smuggled drugs and maintain data. The move will also come in handy in combating the narcotics trade on a global scale.


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