Drug Abuse: Lions Club to equip Karu hospital’s psychotherapy ward

Abuja Mega Lions Club is planning to renovate and equip the child and adolescents psychotherapy ward of Karu General Hospital, Abuja as part of its fight against drug abuse amongst youths in the country.

The Club’s Charter President, Anthonia Opusunju, disclosed this at the weekend during her installation and fund raising ceremony of N25 million needed for the project.

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She said the Club was targeting to rehabilitate and reintegrate Nigerian youths faced with the challenge of addiction as a fall out from the effects of drug and substance abuse.

According to her, substances like ‘paraga’, tramadol, codeine, rohypnol and skushi taken by youths between the age bracket of 15 and 35 years were tantamount to health with severe threats to liver damage, mental instability as well as death.

“During our needs assessment visit to the aforementioned hospital, the Chief Medical Director made us realize that such ward [child and adolescents psychotherapy ward] does not exist, that all the patients were lumped together in a common space which does not reflect international best practices as obtained in other climes across the globe.

“It is therefore, on this note that we seek support from well meaning Nigerians and lovers of ‘service to humanity’ requesting that you partner with us on this noble project to help recapture the leaders of tomorrow, promote standard and healthy practice, provide enabling environment for improved recovery rate and also create room for best engagement to aid rehabilitation and reintegration of victims back into the society,” she said.

Opusunju said statistics in recent time show that Nigeria ranks 5th in the world with the highest suicide rate of an average of six suicides per month which is attributed to the excessive abuse of drugs.

According to her, global prevalence of drug use is 5.6% but in Nigeria, it is 14.4% (14.3 million people) which implies that one in seven persons in Nigeria between the ages of 15 and 64 years use at least on psychoactive substance as against the global average of one in 20 persons.