CAIRO, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Egypt has reduced the drug abuse rate among governmental employees to 1.7 percent, down from 8 percent in 2019, thanks to a slew of measures implemented by the government to combat drug abuse in government institutions, an official with the country's drug control fund said in a recent interview.
Egypt's Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA) had randomly tested about 400,000 employees in the country's government offices, and discovered the rate of drug abuse among government employees had significantly decreased, FDCTA Director Amr Osman told Xinhua.
According to the official, the 1.7 percent drug abuse rate among government employees in Egypt is lower than the national average of 5.9 percent, while the country's drug addiction rate is nearly 2.4 percent.
In Egypt, the age group most vulnerable to drug abuse is between 15 and 25 years old, and the age group most likely to seek treatment is between 25 and 35 years old, he said.
To combat drug abuse, the FDCTA, which belongs to the Ministry of Social Solidarity, has adopted a number of preventative and monitoring measures, while at the same time provided treatment or rehabilitative services to drug users, according to Osman.
The FDCTA has recruited 32,000 young people to prevent drug abuse across Egypt, initiating awareness programs in schools, youth centers, cultural palaces, and youth camps, he said.
To promote public awareness against drug abuse, the FDCTA has invited Mohamed Salah, an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Liverpool and is a household name in Egypt, to be a volunteer and supporter of its advertising campaigns and to feature in its posters encouraging people to stay away from drugs.
The FDCTA has expanded its network of drug treatment centers in Egypt over the past few years, now operating 28 centers in 17 governorates, up from 12 centers in seven governorates in 2014, said Osman.
The fund has also established a hotline, 16023, to provide services, such as free counseling and referrals to local treatment centers for drug users, according to the official.
As part of its anti-drug campaign, the FDCTA has increased its drug addiction prevention activities aimed at young people and bus drivers.
Last year, it launched drug prevention programs at 2,000 schools, 25 universities, and more than 400 youth centers across the country, said Osman.
The fund has cooperated with the Interior Ministry to initiate a drug test campaign on drivers since 2017, particularly among school bus drivers.
As a result, the percentage of drug abuse among school bus drivers fell to 1.1 percent last year, down from 12 percent in 2017, according to Osman, who cited the results of a random survey of 16,000 school bus drivers.
In addition to providing drug addicts with treatment, the FDCTA has also given loans to those who have recovered from addiction, in order to help them start small businesses and reintegrate into society, according to Osman.
According to the FDCTA, it is facing new issues as the use of synthetic drugs increases, as seen by responses to its hotline service.
The FDCTA director pointed out that the percentage of Egyptians consuming synthetic drugs among those seeking the fund's treatment increased to 17 percent in 2021, up from 7 percent in 2020, stressing that using synthetic drugs has become a worldwide phenomenon. ■
