Narcotics for Sale at Drug Clinics

Jahan Mammetnazarova, a resident of the northern city of Dashoguz, described how her younger son Nazar fell victim to this widespread practice. While he was at a treatment clinic which his parents had got him into after paying a substantial fee, the doctors issued him with illicit drugs which he paid for with the money his parents had given him to cover living costs.



Nazar admitted this when his mother was planning to send him back to the clinic after the first treatment failed. He was reluctant to go, and in the end he admitted it would be a waste of time and money. He asked his parents instead to give him half the money so he could buy the medicine to treat himself.



Maisa Nuryeva, a doctor at the same clinic, confirmed that some doctors were supplying drugs to their patients. It is a good earner, as addicts are unable to leave the treatment centre and are happy to buy a fix from their doctors.



Jahan is angry and disappointed that she is being denied real help by doctors who are encouraging the trade in drugs rather than doing everything in their power to stop it.



There are many families like the Mammetnazarovs in Turkmenistan, which has one of the highest addiction rates in the region. According to Oraz Ashirov, a resident of the southern Mary region, drug abuse is now a scourge, with every family containing at least one addict.



The government has taken some measures to combat drug addiction, setting up a commission to fight drug addiction and trafficking, and launching a national programme to curb users and dealers. President Saparmurat Niazov has also signed off on a national action plan which envisages help for people who are dependent on drugs and psychotropic substances.



But despite the government campaign, the health sector which is responsible for the programme leaves a great deal to be desired. Since January 2005, health provision has been self-financing, which means in practice that doctors and other medical personnel must support themselves through income.



In addition, it is common to pay a bribe in return for being given a job. The sums of money involved can be large, so the first thing a doctor may need to do after landing a new job is to earn enough money to repay the loan he or she took out to fund the bribe. So doctors end up selling drugs to the patients they are supposed to be looking after.