Profile

Mel Medura is the outreach arm of Sri Lanka Sumithrayo (Colombo) catering to the needs of persons who are experiencing difficulties through drug use. (Mainly, alcohol/ tobacco/ cannabis/ heroin/ betel chew/ non-prescriptive pharmaceuticals.)

Officially known as the Sumithrayo Drug Demand Reduction Programme it is located at Mel Medura, a spacious building made available to the Sumithrayo since 1984, by the late Joan De Mel the Founder of Sri Lanka Sumithrayo, for the specific purpose of treatment and rehabilitation of drug dependent persons. The unit now popularly referred to as Mel Medura is managed by a Supervisory Board of Sumithrayo volunteers. Additionally, we have a cadre of approximately 15 full time, trained workers and two medically qualified consultants who specialize in drug related issues and a Board of 3 Executive Directors. Services are available on a daily basis and the Centre is open throughout the year. The unit is non-profit oriented and works at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of supply and demand reduction of harmful, dependence producing psychoactive drugs.

However, greater emphasis is placed on the preventative rather than the curative aspects of a wide range of community concerns which tends to diminish health.