A new drug abuse rehabilitation centre could be built in the Isa Town district of Bahrain amid claims that more than half of the population of the kingdom suffer from some sort of addiction, a report said.

The topic was raised at the Southern Municipal Council when it heard the results of a study carried out by one of its members, Abdulla Al Qobaisi, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

He claimed to have discovered through a survey that 65 per cent of Bahrain's population were suffering from an 'addiction', although he failed to give any details about how many people were questioned as part of the study, or how exactly he defined addiction.

'I have carried out my own survey before I prepared a study on the need to have this new rehabilitation centre, as it shows that 65pc of Bahrain's population are addicted,' said Mr Al Qobaisi.

'Most don't go to the Psychiatric Hospital's Almoayyed Drug and Alcoholic Rehabilitation Unit because it doesn't have enough space, and prefer to go abroad or to local private facilities.

'We are not looking to purchase private plots of land '“ there are areas that the Social Development Ministry has left empty for the past seven years, which we can transfer to the Health Ministry.

'Addiction, whether drugs or alcohol, is spreading and we have to support the government in stubbing it out.'

However, Al Qobaisi's figures were called into question both by acting council chairman Isa Al Dossary and Psychiatric Hospital chairman Dr Adel Al Offi, who described the number as unrealistic.

'We have 29 beds and 20 patients at the rehabilitation unit and yes, there are others being treated abroad or outside in private hospitals '“ we don't have an exact figure, but 65 per cent is beyond realism,' said Dr Al Offi.

'It means that two-thirds of the country should be now in hospital receiving treatment, which is untrue and is not based on fact.'

A proposal was submitted by parliament and approved by the Cabinet four years ago to build a new rehabilitation centre with 120 beds, Dr Al Offi said, adding that the hospital was working with the Interior Ministry to achieve this goal. – TradeArabia News Service