Addicts flock to clinic as war on drugs intensifies

Dar es Salaam. A clinic for drug addicts at Mwananyamala Regional Referral Hospital is overwhelmed by the surging number of patients seeking rehabilitation from drug dependence.

Known as the Methadone Clinic, where medicines for withdrawal symptoms are dispensed, it serves over 1,300 patients a day, but yesterday it was found relying on only two medical doctors, a few drug dispensers as the authorities at the clinic complained about working in unfriendly environment. According to the doctor in-charge of the clinic, Dr Cassian Nyandindi, the number of new cases of patients seeking care to cure of their withdrawal symptoms emanating from the use of illicit drugs has increased from 4 to 10 per day since the government launched a crackdown on drug dealers early this month.

“The number of medical staff in almost every department does not meet the demand of patients. Imagine, when a single doctor has to see over 100 patients a day and a drug dispenser, who handles about 900 people,” said Dr Nyandidi at the facility yesterday.

However, Dr Nyandindi told reporters that no patient was being turned away due the limited services. “We are over-worked, but we do our best to accommodate them all,” he said as reporters sought to know if there were any patients, who were missing out on the services due to the situation at the clinic.

The medic was addressing a team of health officials from the ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Children and the Elderly, who thronged the centre in an effort to address the challenges that were likely to arise as a result of the on-going war on drugs in the country. Deputy health minister Hamisi Kigwangalla gave three months to the municipal authorities to look into ways of expanding the facility so that it met the growing number of patients.

Dr Kigwangalla said: “In the coming months, we anticipate that the number of drug addicts seeking care will surge further as the war on drugs intensifies nationally. We, therefore, need to have that in mind and work on new plans that can respond to the situation.

He ordered the Kinondoni District Medical Officer, Dr Aziz Msuya, who was also in attendance to report the clinic’s situation to the Municipal Council so that a budget was set for expansion plans.

At national level, the deputy minister said he would push for the increase in the stock of methadone from 120 kilogrammes as approved in the current budget to 400 kilogrammes in the 2017/18 budget.