Shania Shayal Prasad 
St Giles Hospital.
Admissions to St. Giles Hospital for drug and substance abuse cases have increased.
St. Giles Medical Superintendent Dr. Balram Pandit says statistics show that on average, 20 to 30 people are admitted to St. Giles in relation to drug and substance abuse, compared to five to ten in previous years.
Dr. Pandit says that majority of the cases are a result of abuse of alcohol, marijuana and methamphetamine.
He adds there are many more unreported cases in the community.
“They still keep roaming around and continue living in the community. And the eye-opening data would be from the National Substance Abuse and Advisory Council (NASAC). If you look at the data of NASAC then they have data regarding the school-based drug trend in the school from 2017 to 2021. If you look at those data, you will find that in 2018, they had 1634 cases, and they kept on increasing.”
Anti-drug advocate Kalesi Volatabu highlights that many people who use drugs face stigma and discrimination, which prevents them from accessing the help they need.
“What we are trying to push forward this year internationally is to stop the stigma against those who are under substance abuse because when we see those under substance abuse, we tend to judge that person, whoever that person may be, not understanding that it’s not just the person that suffers but their family as well.”
Yesterday marked International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, and the theme for this year is “People First: stop stigma and Discrimination, strengthen prevention.”
Volatabu says the aim of this year’s campaign is to raise awareness about the importance of treating people who use drugs with respect and empathy.
