St. George’s Grenada, Wednesday March 10th 2010, MOEPRU – Concerns about the number of patients being admitted to the General Hospital for medical problems associated with the consumption of alcohol is prompting the Drug Control Secretariat to conduct research to determine whether the recent increase in prices of alcoholic beverages, due to the imposition of the VAT and the Excise Tax, will reduce consumption of alcohol and the negative consequences associated with such consumption.
Officials have expressed concerned about the increases in the number of patients being admitted for medical problems associated with the consumption of alcohol, including cirrhosis of the liver.
Statistics from the Grenada Drug Information Network (GRENDIN) reveal a steady increase of drug-related admissions to the General Hospital during the period 2007 to 2009, with alcohol having the highest numbers.
100 patients were admitted to the Hospital in 2007 for drug-related medical problems; this number included 95 patients (81 males and 14 females), who had alcohol-related health issues. In 2008, admissions for drug-related problems were 173 patients, with 166 patients admitted for alcohol-related problems (133 males and 33 females).
The number of admissions for 2009, for medical problems associated with drug use rose to 244, an increase of 41 percent. As in previous years, the majority of patients were admitted for medical problems related to alcohol consumption. Of the 244 patients, 226 were persons who experienced alcohol-related problems (197 males and 29 females). The majority of these patients were 40 years and over.
