By Saio Marrah
The Vice President of Sierra Leone Alcohol Policy Alliance (SLAPA) and Executive Director of Social Linkages for Youth Development and Child Link, Habib Taigore Kamara, has called on government to establish drug abuse referral units in hospitals across the country instead of sending cases of substance abuse to the Kissy Psychiatric Hospital.
Speaking at the Foundation for Rural and Urban Transformation (FoRUT) 2021 Annual Stakeholders’ Consultative Meeting held at the 50-50 building, Tower Hill, Freetown on Wednesday 31st March, 2021, Kamara singled out drug abuse as a very serious issue and said the country should establish referrals within various hospitals for drugs issues because according to him, the kissy hospital is not the best place for patients with drug related issues.He said patients can become easily addicted to drugs like lagertine that is being used for other mental illness. “Drug issue should not be treated at a psychiatric hospital. We should have a unit within our hospitals that will be dedicated to drug issues. If you give someone lagertine, that is suffering from drug issue he or she will be addicted to drugs the more,” he said.
He pointed out that most patients from drug abuse, when they are discharged from the Kissy Psychiatric hospital tend to reside in the neighbourhood so they can easily get accessed to the said lagertine. He also called for stringent laws to be enacted to deal with drug abuse.
The Assistant Public Relations Officer National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Ibrahim Kargbo said the regional bloc ECOWAS is about to establish a Rehab centre at the Kissy hospital that will be subsequently extended to other parts of the country, but acknowledged the Kissy hospital is the only available facility at the moment that they just have to use.
He said the existing laws do not allow anyone to hold neither process, sell or consume drugs and cautioned organisations calling for a review of the drugs laws saying, a law that is applicable in the United States of America or England could not be applicable in Sierra Leone.
The Executive Director of FoRUT, Boi Jenneh Jalloh, in her presentation, said FoRUT Sierra Leone is a national NGO that emanated from FoRUT Norway. She said it is a temperance organisation that advocates for reduction on alcohol and drugs intake. She also noted that they are going towards active civil organisation that places development in the hand of the citizens. She also said they are an organisation that envisions a peaceful Sierra Leone where men, women and children can co-exist.
According to her, they have thematic areas that include Alcohol and drug abuse, which she said is an obstacle to development that is affecting 13 out of the 17 SDGs which every government is trying to achieve. Jalloh said they work with line Ministries in other projects geared toward improving gender equality, youth empowerment through agriculture and credit/savings schemes.
Mis. Jalloh said have operations in Moyamba, Portloko and Western Area and disclosed that the consultative meeting is a three day program that started from Moyamba on the 29th , Portloko the 30th and Western Area the 31st March 2021.
Head of Public Education Unit, Anti -Corruption Commission (ACC), Michael Sesay praised FoRUT for transparency and called on the organisation to partner with his office when undertaking activities.
Representatives from Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affair, Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education and the Ministry of Agriculture all applauded FoRUT for their projects and collaboration efforts.
FoRUT was established in Sierra Leone in 1991 and operates in Moyamba and Port Loko districts and the Western Area.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (07/04/21)
