Five new drug addiction treatment centers to open this year - min.

CAIRO, April 2 (MENA) - Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Wali, who is also the board chairperson of the Fund For Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction, said five new drug addiction treatment centers will open this year, thus raising the total number of centers to 27.

The new centers will be in the Upper Egypt cities of Menya and Sohag as well as Matrouh, Fayyoum and Alexandria, she said on Tuesday during the inauguration of a two-day workshop on drug addiction problems.

A number of judges and public prosecution members are attending the two-day workshops, she said, noting that the workshop focuses on the judicial, social and psychological perspectives of the drug addiction problem.

She added that a cooperation protocol will be inked between the Fund For Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction and the Forensic Medicine Authority on the fringe of the workshop.

She said the drug addiction problem is as important as fighting terrorism as it hampers development and threatens social peace in view of being one of the main reasons behind crimes and accidents, referring to the recent train accident at Cairo's main railway station in which scores of Egyptians were killed.

She said the fund managed to reduce the rate of drug consumption among professional drivers from 24 percent in 2015 to 12 percent in 2019.

She added that the workshop will also tackle a number of drug addiction draft laws.