The Ministry of Health has disclosed that over the course of approximately eight years, the Addiction Treatment Center has seen a staggering 81,072 cases seeking assistance. Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi, responded to a query from Representative Dr. Muhammad Al-Mahan, delivering these alarming numbers that shed light on the severity of the addiction crisis in the country, reported Al-Jarida Daily.
Dr. Al-Awadi shared that the period from 2015 to September of the current year witnessed 81,072 cases seeking treatment at the addiction center. In the first nine months of 2023 alone, the center opened 894 new files, provided treatment to 2,081 cases within its wards, and attended to 9,537 cases through outpatient clinics. The grim reality was further emphasized with the disclosure that 268 individuals lost their lives due to addiction in the past eight years.
Addressing the Ministry of Health’s role in combating the surge of drug abuse among the youth, Dr. Al-Awadi underscored the integrative nature of the process. The Ministry collaborates with various state agencies, and a reconstituted Supreme National Committee for Combating Drugs plays a pivotal role.
Ministerial Resolution No. 1315 for the year 2022 designated the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior as its head, with membership comprising the Minister of Health, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Social Affairs and Community Development, the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, and the Minister of Information and Culture.
A subcommittee, specifically the Committee for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Addicts, emerged from this structure. It is headed by the Minister of Health, with membership from the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, the Chairman of Bashaer Al-Khair Association, the General Director of the Addiction Hospital, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, and the Assistant Undersecretary for Criminal Security Affairs and Correctional Institutions at the Ministry of Interior.
