Apenisa Waqairadovu 
St Giles Hospital
The 100-bed capacity at St Giles Hospital is insufficient to meet current admission demands.
Medical Superintendent Dr. Balram Pundit says the hospital’s beds are rarely empty, impacting their ability to provide adequate care for patients struggling with substance abuse.
Dr. Pundit revealed that a request has been made for an additional 90 beds to temporarily accommodate substance abuse cases, until a dedicated facility is constructed by the government.
He says that without long-term care for substance abuse patients, relapse will continue to be a major issue.
“Currently what is happening we treat them since we do not have that many beds, we have to discharge them earlier so obviously there is a relapse, they relapse and come back again, we are having problems in that area.”
Dr, Pundit highlights the majority of substance abuse cases are related to marijuana or meth use, and addressing the addictions take time, which highlights the need for long-term care.
Dr. Pundit stresses the urgent need to establish a separate ward within the hospital specifically for substance abuse patients.
