Alcohol and drugs dents health budget

Anansa Jacobs
25 February 2012

The Western Cape government announced that it was allocating nearly a quarter of its budget to deal with health related side effects of alcohol and substance abuse.


The provincial health department has set R630 million aside to treat mental health illnesses.


Health MEC Theuns Botha said district hospitals are struggling to deal with the growing number of drug addicts, diagnosed with mental illnesses.


He also said that If we are able to solve alcohol misuse in this province, we would probably avail up to 40 percent of our health budget.