2,500 workers at Railway Authority suspended over drug abuse

CAIRO – 25 November 2019: A total of 2,500 workers at the Egyptian National Railways Authority were suspended after they tested positive for drug use.

Some of the suspended employees worked at crossings and transfers, while others worked as train drivers and assistants. They were all referred to investigations, and were obliged to enroll in a treatment program, and undertake two tests within six months.

This comes as part of the anti-addiction campaign launched by the authority. Between March 15 and November 23, the campaign examined 23,000 workers out of 33,000 at the authority, and affiliated companies.

Along the same lines, the government regularly launches sudden anti-drug campaigns across the country; one of them was held two weeks ago, where drug tests were carried out on 225 drivers, of whom 34 tested positive to drug use.

A striking figure showed that 27 percent of drug abusers in Egypt are women, while children (aged between 12 to 18 years old) constituted 4.2 percent of the abusers.

Government campaigns extended to detect drug abusers among public employees, where the latest figures show that 279 employees at administrative bodies proved to be addicts.