Hope Services Clinic and Maternity
Hope Services Clinic and Maternity is the healthcare arm of the Hope Service Ministries, a humanitarian, non-profit organization with the objective of providing holistic care – medical, psychological, social, educational and spiritual. The clinic provide various healthcare services to communities in need. Hope Services Clinic and Maternity is a member of EPN.
Drug misuse and abuse is a common problem in our society but has a greater impact on the youths. This problem has been on the rise in the Cameroonian society most especially in the universities, secondary and primary schools. Hope Services has engaged in a broader approach in response to this problem and in supplementing government efforts. These include education of clients on their medication and introduction of drug stores with standard drug storage conditions. Hope Services also carries out quality control of imported medication.
Drug misuse
Drug misuse is the use of drugs for a purpose not consistent with medical guidelines, consequently having a negative impact on health. The availability of these drugs by “street vendors”, in some markets and even some pharmacies has highly increased or worsened the problem as anybody can illegally purchase these drugs without medical prescription. The people selling in the streets are not trained and serve drugs without prescription just to make profits.
We experience scenarios of people with fever who decide to purchase medications from the street vendors. Such clients are given Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac and Indomethacin that all serve the same purpose, and some are not supposed to even be in the market. This as well can result in gastrointestinal bleeding, perforation and death. Another case study are clients who may have malaria and buy Fansidar from the street vendors that takes a longer time for the effect to be evident. Many would think the medication is ineffective, goes on to purchase other medications such as Quinine, along the way because of tinnitus, abandons, and finally buys Artefan. This can potentially lead to hyper toxicity due to drug misuse.
This rise in drug misuse has a parallel increasing rate of depressive symptoms, anxiety, negative effects on the organs like intestinal perforation, kidney failure and even death. It has resulted to social, physical, emotional, and job-related problems in Cameroon and resultantly serious effects on the economy.
Drug Abuse
On the other hand, drug abuse, is either the use of illegal drugs or the use of prescription as well as over-the-counter drugs for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be used, or in excessive amounts. Just as the case with misuse, abused drugs are also readily and easily available in our society with or without prescription. It is in this category that we encounter quite a number of youths involved.
We have cases of people naturally sick and are prescribed opioids. When they recover, and are discharged from hospital, some still buy when they experience the pain again. This abuse is most often as a result of no or inadequate education done by the medical personnel.
The use of Tramadol and Morphine is most often associated with the youth, that they use them to feel good as these drugs produce intense feelings of pleasure. This initial euphoria is followed by other effects, which differ with the type of drug used. Other cases are just out of curiosity and social pressure. In this respect, teens are particularly at risk.
Based on recent report (August 2018) by Comité National de Lutte Contre la Drogue (CNLD), Cameroon, there has been a rising level of drug misuse and abuse in my country. Statistics on narcotic consumption shows that 21% of the population has already consumed a hard drug. Ten percent (10%) are frequent consumers, 60% young people aged 20-25. More than 12,000 young people less than 15 years of age have also consumed narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
The increasing evidence of public health crises in a country like Cameroon that is already faced with high-level unemployment and conflict in some regions of the country is a primordial concern. The recent spike in drug abuse and misuse, has resulted to an increase in violence even in areas that were generally considered safe like the school environments. According to CNLD, in Cameroon, most demanded products include cannabis, tramadol and cocaine. Others include traditional makeshift preparations, heroin and some over-the-counter medication such as certain cough syrup.
This drug misuse and abuse has destroyed young minds as well as creativity thereby resulting in inefficiency at work, academic failure and juvenile delinquency. Infections caused by multiple use of the same syringe as well altogether consequently reduce the nation’s economy and the future work force etc.
As a matter of urgency, Hope Services has engaged in a broader approach to respond to the rising drug misuse and abuse in line with the government effort. With supervision from a pharmacist, our trained pharmacy technicians, during drug dispensing, educate our clients on how to take their medications properly. The pharmacists also oversee prescriptions by the doctors and in case of doubt, error or omission, they consult with the doctor to ensure accuracy before dispensing the drug. Hope Services also makes sure that no medication is purchased without proper prescription and drugs that cause addiction are sold only on strict orders and when necessary.
With the efforts put in place by the government to educate youths on drug misuse and abuse and its consequences, Hope Services as a non-governmental organization, is looking forward to do health campaigns, education and sensitization of youths in schools and even the prisons where we are already heavily implicated.
