Poor spend more on alcohol

Minister plans to charge State money spent to treat alcoholics:

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Low income families in Sri Lanka spend 35 percent of their income on alcohol.

Around 26 percent of males between the ages of 15 and 66 are addicted to alcohol while the percentage of women in the same age group addicted to alcohol is 1.2 percent, Health Ministry sources said.

According to these sources, alcoholism has created a lot of problems in the society.

Increase of violence within families, increase road accidents and mental depression among women and children are some problems because men are alcoholics. Alcoholism is one of the main reasons for suicides, the sources said.

The National Mental Health Forum 2010 to be held at the BMICH will focus on controlling the use of alcohol. Specialist doctors, psychiatrists and NGO community based organization representatives will participate, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said arrangements should be made to set up a system to charge State money spent on treating alcoholics on the doctor's recommendation.

According to Minister Sirisena, if a doctor diagnoses that the cause of a patient's ailment is because of the use of alcohol, State money spend on treating such patients will be charged from them under the new system.

He expressed these views during a Non Communicable Disease (NCD) controlling program in the Uva Province.

Minister Sirisena pointed out that there is a rapid increase in Non Communicable Diseases in Sri Lanka and 90 percent of such patients are heavy smokers and alcoholics.

The Ministry spends over Rs. 1100 million annually to import drugs. The majority of patients using these drugs suffer from NCDs. Non Communicable Disease can be controlled with good health habits such as avoiding alcohol and smoking.