THE age of intravenous drug users in Fiji is dropping, with children as young as 14 presenting to the St Giles Hospital in Suva, says Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Afia Zahin.
Dr Zahin said many of these young patients were facing severe health crises.
“They have HIV, Hepatitis C, and TB,” she said.
“They are suffering with the complications of all that, plus a mental illness that can lead to drug use”
Dr Zahin said the crisis is also placing a massive burden on elderly parents and caretakers.
“We have elderly parents coming in with both of their young boys who are addicted to drugs.
“Now, instead of the children looking after the elderly parents, the parents are using their social welfare money to raise two boys who do not have a job.”
In another case, a teenage girl repeatedly assaulted her grandmother who was her primary caretaker because she needed money to buy drugs.
Dr Zahin said staff are now overwhelmed by the scale of the addiction epidemic.
“Now we are looking at patients who not only have a mental health issue, but they also have HIV, tuberculosis, financial issues, social issues, and multiple medical comorbidities because of HIV.”
The hospital is also seeing a surge in referrals from the judicial system, with a large number of people requiring assessment for crimes committed while under the influence of drugs.
