Drug addicts costing exchequer BD35m: MP
Manama : Drug addicts numbering 30,000 in the Kingdom are costing the exchequer over BD35 million a month in treatment expenses and other services, MP Jalal Kadhim told the Council of Representatives yesterday.
He said this while revealing the latest data on drug addiction as seen by the Bahraini courts during the past few years, in the presence of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa.
“I am a member of the investigative parliamentary committee into the performance of Health Ministry. We have visited the de-addiction unit in the Psychiatric Hospital and attended seminars about drug addiction causes among the Bahraini youth. In Bahrain, we have 30,000 drug addicts. 8,000 of them are receiving treatment in public institutions. Each addict daily costs the government around BD120-BD150 in treatment fees,” the MP said.
Kadhim said this while calling for finding effective solutions to the “key issues” such as drug abuse and addiction among the Bahraini youth instead of toughening punishments.
The lawmaker also discussed with the minister the answers to queries he had submitted earlier in regards to the latest statistics of the ministry related to court cases, their types and numbers.
Among the topics discussed were the cases seen before the civil, criminal and Sharia courts (203, 941 cases) between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2016.
SCD: More efforts needed
Another minister who was present at yesterday’s session was Health Minister Faeqa Al Saleh, who discussed the queries of MPs with regards to Bahraini Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patients and the establishment of a health centre in Hidd.
DT News reported on Saturday that Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee Head MP Abdulla Binhowail had asked the minister about the latest data on SCD patients and the services provided to them.
The minister said in a written reply that 189 Bahrainis and 2 expats died because of SCD between the years 2011-2016.
During the discussion yesterday, MP Binhowail questioned: “why the ministry didn’t establish a specialised centre to receive female SCD patients, similarly to male patients”.
The minister had mentioned in her written reply that “female SCD patients are given prominence at the Accident and Emergency Department in Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) and that a special zone is allocated for them”.
While quoting female patients and Bahrain SCD Friendship Society, insisted that the minister’s reply contradicts with the existing situations at SMC.
He said, “It is true that the female patients are received in a special zone, Room D, at the Accident and Emergency Department at SMC. But, they don’t receive the same services provided to men at the specialised centre inside the SMC.”
DT News reported earlier that the Hereditary Blood Disorder Centre was opened at the SMC in 2014 under the patronage of the Prime Minister HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and only receives male SCD patients.
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