Turkey: International Symposium on Addiction Rehabilitation

A delegation from Dianova visits detoxification services and participates in the “International Symposium on Health Tourism and Addiction Rehabilitation” in the city of Izmir, Turkey

Health Tourism and Addiction Rehabilitation Symposium

The International Symposium on Health Tourism and Addiction Rehabilitation was held on December 8, 2018 in Izmir (Turkey)

Dianova, in its desire to share knowledge and improve access to addiction treatment services, has visited its affiliate member IZSATU (Health Tourism Association of Izmir) to learn about the existing detoxification services in this coastal city and to participate in an international symposium on the topic of addiction.

The Dianova delegation was composed of Cristina Lizarza, President of Dianova International; Rui Martins, Director of Corporate Communication and Public Relations at Dianova Portugal; Sandra Cardoso, head of the Reinsertion Agency of Dianova Portugal; Susana Henriques, researcher on the topic of addiction from CIES-ISCTE-IUL; and Lucía Goberna, Institutional Relations at Dianova International.

The study visits were made on December 7 to the detoxification units of the University Hospital of Ege Üniversitesi, as well as to its Substance Abuse, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Sciences Institute and the Addiction Detoxification Unit of the Izmir Katip Celebi University Hospital of Education and Research.

On December 8, the “International Symposium on Health Tourism and Addiction Rehabilitation” took place on the sidelines of the 12th Izmir Tourism Fair and Congress, organized by IZSATU, TÜRSAB (Association of Turkish Tourism Agencies), IZFAS (Fair of Izmir) and co-organized by Dianova. It was attended by addiction treatment professionals as well as university students.

The symposium, which lasted a full day and featured around ten papers, emphasized the need to have rehabilitation services for addictions and presented the good treatment practices of Dianova Portugal, existing services in Turkey, new therapeutic interventions, the quality system in residential treatment centers, the need to have support services for socio-professional reintegration, and some of the main problems associated with problematic drug and alcohol consumption in Turkey.

We at Dianova appreciate the warm welcome from IZSATU, TÜRSAB, TURSAF (Turkish Federation of Health Tourism Associations), the Izmir Chamber of Commerce, and all the professionals who accompanied us. We hope that Dianova’s experience can contribute to the development and strengthening of addiction rehabilitation services in Izmir in particular, and in Turkey in general, and we remain available for future collaborations.

International Symposium Izmir