WANA: The participants of a rally on Monday expressed serious concern over the alarming rise in drug addiction and depression cases, demanding the government to eradicate narcotics and establish a health facility for the mentally ailing people in Upper South Waziristan.
The rally participants marched from Razmak Adda in Makeen to Wana and Tank Adda with protesters carrying placards and banners inscribed with anti-drug slogans.
Addressing the participants, social activist Khairullah Mehsud and other speakers highlighted that the number of drug addicts and depression patients in Upper South Waziristan had reached an alarming level.
They revealed that over 400 patients had already been treated in various hospitals in Peshawar while more than 300 patients were still suffering from mental illness.
Speakers noted that thousands in the area were affected, but poverty termed the main hurdle in seeking treatment in Peshawar.
They urged both federal and provincial governments to establish a mental health hospital in Upper South Waziristan on an emergency basis to address the growing crisis.
