More than 30 drug addicts have died in the last 45 days of biting cold in western Herat province, an official said on Tuesday.
Public Health Director Abdul Hakim Tamana told Pajhwok Afghan News the dead addicts included 30 men and a woman, whose bodies were evacuated to the zonal hospital.
He expressed concern over the surge in drug addicts’ population and lack of shelter for them. Though it was not the job of public health officials, yet they were trying to collect the addicts and take them to a health facility, he said.
On the other hand, a number of addicts spend their days and nights on the streets of Herat City in the cold weather.
Mohammad, sitting near his brother, both addicts, said: “We were deported from Iran sometime back. Having no shelter, my brother cried all night due to frosty conditions.”
Reza, another resident of Herat, said: “I slipped into addiction five years back and have since been living on streets. The weather gets very cold during night.”
Syed Mohammad, an inhabitant of the provincial capital, said: “Addicts are also human beings like us and have the right to life. The government should pay attention to their plight.”
Another resident, Habibullah, told Pajhwok: “The government should collect the addicts and admit them to hospital. It’s painful to see them dying in the harsh winter.”
Jilani Farhad, the governor’s spokesman, said they had launched a campaign with the cooperation of local authorities to collect the addicts across the city. The drive is aimed to rehabilitate the junkies.
