By Abass Jalloh
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation has partnered with the Sierra Leone Alcohol Policy Alliance and Foundation for Rural and Urban Transformation (FoRUT) in organizing a national forum on alcohol and substance abuse that addressed the spate of drug abuse in the country.
The discussions which focused on reducing alcohol and drug -related health effects, took place on November 24 at the Sierra Palms Resort at Aberdeen in Freetown. Various stakeholders and representatives from the United Nations Office for Drug and Crime (UNODC), Ministries of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Internal Affairs, Social Welfare, and Civil Society Organizations participated in the event.
The deliberations looked at actions and opportunities for reducing alcoholism and drug demands and their harm, and building synergies for inclusive mental health for all.
In his keynote address, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mustapha Kabba, highlighted the devastating effects alcohol and drugs have had on individuals, families and the communities, alongside socio-economic impact at national and global level.
“We have shared responsibility to prevent and reduce this burden. Significant actions have been taken by the ministry and government at large to reduce the harm of alcohol through policy reform. This National Alcohol Policy in Sierra Leone is a better step in recent times for robust action in reducing alcohol,” Dr. Kabba stated.
He said there is evidently a casual relationship between alcohol consumption, drug misuse, and more than 60 types of diseases and injuries, including road traffic fatalities.
“As medical practitioners in the health sector, we note that the use of alcohol and drugs causes significant injuries to very essential organs in the human being," he added.
Country Representative of UNODC, Isaac Ahemesah stressed that the use of human right approaches or rehabilitation should be adopted instead of putting drug users in prison, noting that the opportunity is there to help their capacity.
Ahemesah was concerned about the operationalization of policies related to substance abuse, saying civil society organizations and other institutions should work together and explore opportunities that will keep people away from being for people not to be vulnerable from drugs.
“As a country, strengthen the capacity of health workers and institutions, and we will be ready to work with all institutions," he said.
He suggested that the authorities should be vigilant to cut down the “barons” who supply these substances rather than focusing on the minor consumers.
Minister of Social Welfare, Baindu Dassama Kamara, noted peer pressure and lack of opportunities as some of the causes of substance abuse and assured of the ministry’s commitment to improving information and communication strategies by targeting family members in vulnerable communities for enhancement of their potential skills.
Representatives from other institutions contributed on the various aspects of combating especially the proliferation and abuse of drugs.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (25/11/22)
