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Sehati Motsoun
Despite high rates of drug abuse in Lesotho, the country still faces a severe shortage of specialist doctors qualified to treat drug addiction.
The lack of dedicated drug abuse treatment staff is a serious hindrance to the country’s ability to combat drug addiction, said Teboho Burane, director of the Lesotho Schools Early Detection and Treatment of Drug Addiction Programme.
He made this statement at the recent Moromi Hospital Stakeholder Roundtable on Substance Abuse and Treatment?In Maseru.
Dr. Bulane said Lesotho’s lack of substance abuse specialists was a major barrier to effective treatment. The country currently has only three doctors specializing in substance abuse treatment, a number he said was far from meeting the needs of the population.
He said that while the need for state-run rehabilitation centres was urgent, a shortage of doctors specifically trained in drug treatment was exacerbating the crisis.
“I know that patients with drug addiction are sometimes admitted to Moromi Hospital, but there is a high probability that many patients are misdiagnosed or receive inappropriate treatment because the doctors responsible for treating them lack the necessary expertise,” Dr. Branay explained.
he?explain?Lesotho faces a serious substance abuse and mental health crisis, yet it remains the least professionalised country in the region in addressing these issues.
“Countries like Swaziland and Botswana have many experts on drug use, even though they don’t face the same level of demand as we do,” he lamented.
Dr. Bulane’s reason for limiting the number of specialists is that achieving the status of a super-specialist in drug therapy requires taking unsponsored courses, which are expensive.
He added: “It is difficult to accept that family income is being used to train in areas that are not a priority for the government itself.”
He also argued that there was no one at the ministerial level who qualified as a super expert on drug abuse.
As the first person in Lesotho to qualify as a drug treatment specialist, Dr. Braan is deeply concerned about the growing drug problem among young people.
He said: “Our generation is being sucked into the vortex of drugs day after day, and someone needs to step up and stop this scourge.”
He shared a disturbing story about a third grader he met who had developed a smoking addiction.
“In our school addiction early detection and treatment outreach program that we ran earlier this year, we found that more than 30 per cent of primary and secondary school students were using drugs,” Dr Blaney said.
Social Groups Committee chairperson Mokhothu Makhalanyane echoed the concerns, saying the youth drug problem was causing deep concern among the country’s leadership.
“The government is disturbed to see this happening because it means we may not have a conscious generation in the future,” said Maharanyane.
He added that the situation was so serious that in some schools, more than 40 students were found taking drugs, a fact that shocked the school principals.
He added: “This shows that we are heading down the path of senior councillors, who I suggest we may need to shut down the whole of Maseru for a day to tackle the drug abuse problem.”
Lance Seargent Makarabo Mahula of the Lesotho Mounted Police Diamond and Narcotics Office highlighted the major gaps in the country’s fight against drug addiction.
“While there is an action plan against drug dealers, there is no constitutional plan for drug users. This means we are neglecting a critical aspect of the drug problem because as long as there is a market for their product, drug dealers will continue to operate,” said Superintendent Mahura.
She urged the government to take decisive action to stop drug use and ensure that those recovering from drug addiction remain sober.?future?generations.
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