Dr Paul Agboola, provost and Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Aro Abeokuta, Ogun State, has lamented that 70% of the hospital’s patients suffer from substance use disorder.
The provost expressed concern that substance abuse is now being ranked at the same pandemic proportion as COVID-19 infection.
He made the remarks during a press conference commemorating 2022 Mental Health Day.
Agboola at the press conference lamented that substance use has evolved, and drug abusers are now looking for several methods to outsmart the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
He complained that drug users have filled up two wards at the hospital, noting that they keep coming every day.
He said, “you see drug abuse has evolved over time, gone are those days you see people smoking weed, wrapping it in paper; it has gotten to a stage where cannabis is made in form of cake, sweet, tablet, etc.
“Drug abuse has been ranked on the same level of pandemic proportion as COVID-19 infection in different parts of the world and the drug barons have also up their game by producing some of these drugs in a way that customs officers and NDLEA officials will not even suspect.
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“Nigeria as a country, we have had our own share of the problem and in our hospital right now, over 60 to 70 percent of patients that come into our hospital also have drug use problems.
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“We have two wards that are dedicated as specialist wards to treat people with drug abuse-related problems. I can tell you that there is no space for new admission, we have patients that have been waiting to be taken into mental treatment.
And of course, the drug addiction experts in our hospital have also devised means to take care of and speed up clients that need services in drug treatment.
“I am also happy to announce to you that the hospital has just built two new wards that will take care of people with drug-related problems, in addition to the two existing wards, making four wards and this shows the level of the problem that we are having.”
Agboola also said 60 million Nigerians have one or more forms of mental health challenges currently or in the past.
He, however, commended the Ogun State government for being a partner with the hospital in taking care of people with mental illness in the state.
Agboola added, “We have provided primary health care services where people were trained in Egba, Yewa, Remo, Ijebu, etc. They were trained by us and with the support from the government; we send people from here every day to supervise what they are doing.”
The provost also added that the gate of the hospital is open to patients in need of general health services.
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