Victoria Falls Reporter
AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD girl has been checked into a newly-established drug rehabilitation centre in Victoria Falls.
The shocking case reflects the severity of the rampant drug and substance abuse menace in this country.
She is among four patients receiving treatment at the centre. The centre is based at the Chinotimba Clinic.
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The admission of a juvenile of such a tender age has sent shockwaves through the small close-knit community. It highlights how the scourge of substance abuse is trapping increasingly younger victims.
Victoria Falls Town Clerk, Mr Ronnie Dube, confirmed the child's admission while providing an update on the centre's development.
"We have four inmates currently that we are attending to, the youngest being eight-years-old," he said.
"We anticipate that as the word goes that we now have this kind of a facility, we will have a number of inmates."
Mr Dube has praised the Government's directive for local authorities to establish such facilities, calling it a vital initiative.
"The project of the drug rehabilitation centre, which is situated in Chinotimba Clinic is complete.
"We partnered with the Minister of Health and the Government contributed ZiG1.8 million for the project, which was a big kick-start and we really appreciate that kind of contribution," said Mr Dube. He indicated that while final furnishing touches are underway, the centre is fully functional.
Efforts to get further clinical details from the District Medical Officer were unsuccessful.
The officials at the centre declined to comment, saying divulging specific information about a patient would be a serious violation of professional ethics and patient confidentiality.
The presence of an eight-year-old in rehabilitation highlights the challenges ahead and underscores the urgent need for robust preventative community programmes to protect the nation's youth, even as treatment centres like the one in Chinotimba begin their crucial work.
Ingutsheni Central Hospital Psychiatrist Registrar, Dr Loveness Ndebele, provided crucial insight into the psychological dimension of the case, stating that her facility has seen children as young as seven.
"We have been seeing as young as seven-years old juveniles being brought by their parents after abusing drugs," she said.
"There may be underlying conditions or the general impulsive nature of such age groups.
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"So, when you see them being admitted to such a centre it means there is now an addiction, which we call dependence," said Dr Ndebele She explained the standard medical response.
"According to common practice we have to assess for what we call 12 principles.
"But generally, they might not know the harm of the drugs they are taking, what I can refer [to] as no lucidity," she said.
Emphasising the path forward for the eight-year-old, she advocated for a comprehensive strategy.
"For this particular case, we need a multi-disciplinary approach where we involve social workers and child psychologists so that he gets help.
"It could be a cry for help," she said.
