Frazer Potani, AfricaNews Reporter in Lilongwe, Malawi
Stewart was a heavy goods vehicle driver based in Lilongwe and used to travel alot-transporting goods between Malawi and the country's neighbors.
Unexpectedly, about 12 months ago some developments happened that changed his life.
He overwhelmingly lost his weight, used to often feel dizzy, urinate and experience an excessive thirst.
Further Stewart used to feel very tired, his vision sometimes was blurred and would even sweat profusely at night.
“After losing weight I rushed to the conclusion that I was HIV positive before even going for the test to know if I had the virus or not because honestly speaking drinking alcohol and chasing women was part of my life during my long trips as a truck driver. I was due to my sickness then even forced to relinquish my duties by my employer,” he explained.
He added that under the influence of his wife Jenniffer, he went to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe where he went for several tests including HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), Malaria and High Blood Pressure.
“The diagnosis had none of these. It was after I was requested to submit my blood sample for a Diabetic test that it was revealed that I was suffering from Diabetes,” he said adding that after the test he accepted his fate, was counselled and since then is on diabetic treatment.
“Since then I do take some drugs on a daily basis to control my blood sugar levels and surviving on a small scale business with my family,” he said.
On the other hand Isaac was one of the few Clinical Officers and a District Hospitals outside Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe but currently serving a life sentence at one of the country’s prisons for murder.
Reason? One day after knocking off from work he went to a bottle store and after an over 8 hour drinking spree upon arriving home around 2 a.m. severely beat up his 6 month old pregnant wife to death for bringing cold food on the table.
While 19-year-old Johnstone’s fate is that he is currently in the confines of Malawi’s major mental clinic in Zomba about 300 Km from Lilongwe.
He was a bright secondary school student with a vision of becoming a civil engineer after college.
But despite attaining good grades he did not make it to any of the colleges of University of Malawi due to circusmastances beyond his control.
To overcome his frustrations, Johnstone resorted to excessively consuming alcohol packed in mini sachets as well as smoking Indian hemp which later led him to routinely suffering from mental disorders.
The three incidents above are but just some tiny grains of the negative impacts of alcohol and drug abuse silently draining human, social and economic development resources in Malawi.
The 2011 United Nations High level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) demonstrated the global consensus around the need to develop and implement prevention strategies and control the disease burden related to four risk factors: tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy foods, and lack of physical exercise especially in poor developing countries like Malawi.
The four disease categories captured in the NCD basket are cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, and diabetes; these account for two-thirds of all deaths and half of all disability worldwide (UN 2011).
Mental health conditions according to the UN even make up a fifth NCD category that, although not included in the UN process, significantly contributes to the global chronic disease burden.
A study by Rehm J., Samokhvalov and others in 2009, Parry and others in 2011and Schneider and others in 2012 also reveals that heart disease, cancer, and HIV and more than 60 diseases in the human body are related to alcohol use.
In a presentation by St Joseph’s Hospital Medical Director (Mgonjetsi Moyo) Drug Fight Malawi’s Jacqueline Grace Nambala said studies reveal that harmful use of alcohol results in 2.5 million deaths globally each year.
“320, 000 young people between the age of 15 and 29 die from alcohol-related causes, representing 9 percent of all deaths in that age group. 2.4 percent of all deaths in Africa are attributable to alcohol,” she said adding that annual Africa per capita consumption is 6.2 liters of pure alcohol equals global average.
Nambala was however to disclose that 7 out of 10 adults abstain from alcohol consumption.
“Fewer people drink alcohol but they drink too much. Estimates of the global cost of harmful drinking range from $ 210 to $ 665 billion, alcohol is the world’s third largest risk factor for disease burden. It‘s the leading risk factor in the Western Pacific and the Americas and the second largest in Europe,” she explained.
Malawi’s Director responsible for Non-Communicable-Diseases (NCDs) in the Ministry of Health, Beatrice Mwagomba admitted that alcohol and drug abuse was having negative impact on the health of people in the country.
“In return the problem is also negatively affecting productivity at all levels hence also crippling the country’s social-economic development to eradicate poverty,” she said.
In an effort to deal with the alcohol and drug abuse problem in Malawi Drug Fight Malawi, a Non-Governmental-Organization (NGO) is tirelessly lobbying for a policy to be put in place to control the situation in the country.
“For many, consuming alcohol may seem an easy way to cope up with everyday problems. Images often portrayed in alcohol promotions support the view that alcohol offers a taste of luxury, recreation, and enter into a world beyond everyday worries,” said Drug Fight Malawi Board Chairperson Maria Chidzanja Nkhoma.
She added: “However, the health and other problems created by alcohol use are rather additional burden for poor people such as us in Malawi, generating substantial problems for society and becoming a stumbling block for development.”
Nkhoma further explained that while men do the bulk of the drinking alcohol, women and children bear the consequences disproportionately in the form of interpersonal violence, its impact on family budgets, and other secondary effects of others’ drinking.
Hudson Kubwalo from World Health Organization(WHO) Malawi Mission Office in Lilongwe said unless measures are urgently put in place to eradicate alcohol and drug abuse in Malawi achieving Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) will be a huge mountain to climb for the tiny southern African nation.
“At least 5 of the 8 MDGs are clearly affected by alcohol harm. So, the success of achieving them also depends on how alcohol’s role is being addressed by decision-makers,” he said.
Drug Fight Malawi Executive Director Nelson Baziwelo Zakeyu also Secretary for Alcohol Policy Alliance (APA) said it is his network’s prayer that Malawi Government will urgently regard the need to have an Alcohol Policy as a priority to control its consumption to bail out many people currently trapped in the problem.
“Alcohol has diverse negative influences on people’s economic status while economic status in turn affects alcohol use in many ways. Alcohol can push people into poverty and lock them, their families and entire communities there over generations,” he explained.
Zakeyu dispelled some reports circulating in Malawi that the Alcohol Policy is meant to ban alcohol production and consumers in the country.
Meanwhile, concerned by alcohol and drug abuse’s negative impact on Malawi’s human, social and economic development as Africanews.com went to press the Alcohol Policy Alliance (APA) had written Malawi’s Health Minister Catherine Gotani Hara requesting to have an interface meeting with her to among other things, get a feed back on the draft National Alcohol Policy which is in the hands of her Ministry and secondly on the issue of liquor sachets.
“The draft National Alcohol Policy was submitted to the Ministry of Health in November 2011 for Government’s approval but while understanding that there are a number of technical issues that had to be looked at Ministerial level, members of Alcohol Policy Alliance are getting worried with time considering a growing number of alcohol –related problems that continue affecting the society, particularly children and young people,” said Zakeyu.
He disclosed that the development process of alcohol policy started in 2007 at a consultative meeting conducted by Drug Fight Malawi where participants from government strategic Ministries and Civil Society were brought together to discuss alcohol related problems in the country and how best to solve those problems.
“APA is concerned with the great increase of Alcohol consumption and that alcohol is one of the most significant risks to health. It is the third largest contributing factor to injury and diseases worldwide, in particular Malawi almost equal to tobacco. Heavy consumption of alcohol in a poor country -Malawi has a negative impact on the nation goals, putting lives of people at threats to death,” said Zakeyu.
He further explained that in addition to this, the number of men, youths and women dying each day has an effect on the level of contribution that they can make in development processes and the achievement of Healthy Policy and Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) and globally meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
“The more youth, men and women saved from alcohol related harm and deaths, the more they are to take up their responsibility in society and even to contribute to country’s economy,” said Zakeyu.
He also expounded that another concern is the announcement by Malawi’s Ministry of Industry and Trade that from March this year, the minimum packaging of alcohol beverages will be increased from the current 30 ml to 100 ml which is in contrast to a proposal made in the draft National Alcohol Policy for the 300 ml as the minimum package for the alcohol.
“Alcohol Policy Alliance would like to see a total protection of children by limiting the affordability and accessibility of liquor at all means and 100 ml won’t solve matters as the volume will still be small and hence the sachets will continue being offered at very low prices,” said Zakeyu adding, “Alcohol Policy Alliance and its member NGOs throughout the country would like to jointly have an interface meeting with the Honorable Minister not only as a way forward towards the legal approval process of Alcohol Policy in Malawi but also that we have a chance to talk.”
Stewart was a heavy goods vehicle driver based in Lilongwe and used to travel alot-transporting goods between Malawi and the country's neighbors.
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