DRUG and substance abuse patients being admitted at one of the country’s
biggest psychiatric hospitals, Ngomahuru, on the outskirts of Masvingo are
congesting the facility.
The institution offers services to mentally ill patients and is not a rehabilitation
centre that can accommodate and offer much-needed services to drug and
substance abuse patients.
A report by the Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and
Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira, seen by this newspaper, says that at least 184
cases of drug abuse were admitted at Ngomahuru Psychiatric Hospital with the
most affected age group being between 21 and 45.
“The province saw 184 cases of drug and substance abuse at Ngomahuru and of
these 108 were treated and discharged. Some 145 cases were treated for
attempted suicide. The province has no institution for drug abuse clients, hence
congesting Ngomahuru and resulting in shortage of food provisions and medical
supplies,” he said.
According to the institution’s medical superintendent, Dr Parirenyatwa
Maramba, the challenge of drug abuse is quite huge with the need for
Government to create rehabilitation centres for the patients in the province.
“The challenge is quite huge and there is need for serious awareness and
education amongst the youths. There is also need to create rehabilitation
centres, where they can actually be helped. We are just a hospital not a
rehabilitation centre,” he said.
Although there might be notable changes on those who would be released back
into the community, the concern is that the help and support that would have
been rendered would not last because the patients were being released back into
the same community, the same environment and were therefore likely to fall
back into the use of the same drugs.
“There is also need to capacitate them in terms of what they can do when they
go out. There is need to train them on different projects that they can do when
they go out,” he said.
With the rise in cases of drug abuse, the Government created the inter-
ministerial taskforce chaired by the Ministry of Public Services, Labour and
Social Welfare and deputised by the Ministry of Youths, Sports, Arts and
Recreation and Ministry of Health and Child Care to come up with ways to curb
the increase in the cases of drug and substance abuse.