Health

Maputo tops table for drug dependency.

08 Sep, 2006

Over 440 people in Maputo province, including Maputo city, were admitted to mental health structures in 2005 due to alcohol or drug-related problems, according to the latest ministry of health figures. This compares to 105 people in the northern province of Nampula and three in Zambzia. The data, contained in a document anticipated by Canal de Moambique, make no reference to Tete province, where the production of herbal cannabis for local consumption is thought to be high.

Alcoholism was the primary cause of hospitalisation, accounting for 290 cases in 2005, followed by cannabis addiction (227 cases).

In an interview with the independent newspaper Manuel Condula, coordinator of the national network of Mozambican non-governmental organisations against drugs (RNOMCD), said these figures based on hospital admission statistics are only the tip of the iceberg and do not accurately reflect the situation on the ground.