By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby has called on all to come together to help in the fight against the deadly Kush drug, describing it as a public health issue.
Dr. Demby made this statement at a Town hall meeting on how to combat kush that took place at the Bintumani Conference Hall, Freetown on Tuesday 2nd April this year.
He called on the public to treat the drug menace as an important issue, noting that the health sector alone cannot succeed in the fight.
According to the minister, kush is made from an artificial combination of chemicals, that are “more” potent, deadly, and dangerous. “The synthetic drug is mixed with different kinds of drugs, and it is more potent, more deadly, and more dangerous," he emphasized.
He narrated how the Pharmacy Board went, collected, and analyzed samples of kush found to contain not only synthetic-potent substances but also a combination of dangerous drugs.
“The result of consuming drugs is that it damages all the vital organs in their body, and the impairment of the brain as well,” he further noted.
The minister, however, said many of the kush users are vulnerable, re-echoing his call on all to help fight against the dangerous substance.
He spoke about their role in giving the necessary treatment and the last resort in giving respect to both the victims as well as those dying of issues related to the drug.
He acknowledged that kush is a “problem” that needed to be given the appropriate care and treatment, saying, “All of this is only possible if the importation of kush is stopped.”
“Amid this kush issue, our role is to provide medical coverage. We want our doctors and nurses to know how they should clinically manage the kush crisis,” the minister stated.
He said they are working with the Ministry of Social Welfare in providing social support to kush victims, while those that have been mentally affected are taken to the psychiatric hospital. “The psychiatric hospital must be able to manage those cases,” he went on and stressed the need to cut the supply chain, especially the importation of the deadly substance.
In his statement, Minister of Internal Affairs, Retired Major General David Taluva spoke of arrests and convictions of over 296 drug dealers in the first quarter of this year. “Kush is everybody’s fight,” he said.
Copyright (c) Politico Online (05/04/24)
