Afghanistan: Over 45,000 Drug Addicts Treated in One Year

Kathmandu. In Afghanistan, more than 45,000 people addicted to drugs in the last one year have completed treatment and reunited with their families, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health has stated.

At a program related to drug control and public awareness, the director of the National Drug Addiction Treatment Program under the ministry, Al-Hafiz Inamullah Ammar, informed that more than 45,000 addicts have received treatment services. According to him, about three hundred thousand people have benefited from drug abuse prevention awareness campaigns.

"The government is committed to further strengthening drug control efforts across the country and expanding treatment services," Ammar said.

According to Wahdat Alokozai, Deputy Director General of Curative Medicines at the ministry, treatment services for drug addicts are currently available from about 67 hospitals across Afghanistan.

During the military presence of the United States and its allied nations, Afghanistan had become one of the world's major producers of opium and heroin for two decades. During that period, millions of people fell into drug addiction, due to which the poor country Afghanistan is still facing serious public health and social challenges.