KABUL (SW) – At least 1068 drug addicts have been rounded up for treatment, of which 250 have been discharged after getting rid of addiction, said officials at the Ibn Sina Hospital in Kabul.
As per the health officials, every 45 days, 1,000 drug addicts are treated in this hospital, and since the beginning of this year, 6,500 people have been treated.
Vahidullah Koshan, the deputy head for the treatment program, said that 1068 people are currently under treatment in the program.
“Since the beginning of this year, 6,500 addicts have been treated and handed over to their families, and today’s gathering was held to hand over 250 addicts to their relatives.”
Even though the Islamic Emirate has always emphasized the fight against the cultivation and sale of drugs, Afghanistan is still one of the countries in the region that has the largest amount of drug production and the number of people addicted to these drugs.
However, in order to reduce the number of addictions in the country, sociologists believe that the treatment plan for drug addicts is not very effective and we should try to stop the commercial channels and sale of drugs.
Habibullah Aqli, a sociologist, said that treating and collecting addicts for the fight against drugs alone will not resolve the problem. “There are three solutions, which are identifying the main sponsors and drug growers, defining a legal mechanism for drugs and sellers, and developing a criminal policy to address it”.
At the same time, the experience of people who have gone through drug addiction also shows that many factors are involved in increasing the number of drug addiction. According to them, social unrest and easy access to drugs are the most important factors.
Abdul Sabour, who recently returned to his family after quitting addiction, says: “I have been using drugs for 10 years, and two months ago I came to this hospital to quit drugs and I quit addiction. First, I started with cigarettes until I started using heroin. This is not a hospital, it is a prison. The government must deal seriously with drug dealers to fight against drugs.”
Miwand Hoshmand, a psychologist in charge of the 1000 beds Ibn Sina Hospital, said that it family problems and mental disorders play a major role in the increase of people addicted to drugs. “45 days is considered as a standard period for quitting addiction, but for patients who have mental problems, the process of leaving them continues for 90 days.”
The cultivation, production and trafficking of drugs in Afghanistan has always been one of the serious challenges in this country. According to reports, more than three million Afghan citizens are addicted to drugs.
ENDS
