8,282 public employees tested for drug abuse

CAIRO - 12 March 2019: The Addiction Treatment and Abuse Fund is intensifying campaigns aimed at extracting blood samples from public employees to determine whether they abuse drugs or not. Below is more information on the initiative.

Public institutions and agencies have to provide the fund with the data of their employees, numbers, and their locations.

An official at each entity will be in charge of communication with the fund.

In the past two months, samples were taken from 8,282 public employees at eight ministries.

Tests revealed that 250 public employees abuse drugs.

Employees who abuse drugs will be referred to the Administrative Prosecution Authority. The penalty can be as severe as dismissal from work.

The tests include drivers of school buses and truck drivers.

If a school bus driver is proved to abuse drugs, he will be dismissed from work in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

Complaints will be filed against any driver who abuses drugs. He will be referred to the Public Prosecution and charged with driving under drug influence.

If any public employee or driver asks voluntarily to receive free treatment, he will be considered a patient and will benefit from the service in secrecy. The hotline is 16023.

On March 10 – 11, 240 school bus drivers were tested in police checkpoints in Menya governorate. Of those, 11 turned out to be abusing drugs so they were referred to the public prosecution. Seven are using hash, 3 are using Tramadol, and one is using morphine.

There is also a nationwide campaign to check the criminal record of school bus drivers as some were convicted of robbery and scam. Some schools hire transportation firms without checking the criminal records of drivers.