In both my undergraduate and postgraduate studies, I attended the Muhimbili University of Health And Allied Sciences (MUHAS). MUHAS has Muhimbili National Referral Hospital (MNH) as its teaching hospital, so we saw a wide range of cases for learning, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. I used to come across addicts and their related conditions all the time. I used to see them in custody as packers or as prisoners with complications or trauma related to their use because they are involved in a lot of risky behavior.
At every level, I saw them being judged, undermined, stigmatized, and not receiving the care they deserved. They were people who did not get what they deserved, from their homes to hospitals. As much as I agree with the legal implications that they deserve, there was a gap that I couldn't ignore when it came to humanity receiving the care that it deserved. My interest in addiction grew over time as I sought to learn more.
The more I learned, the more enthralled I became. I visited local sober houses and discovered that even when they are ready to seek help, the assistance they receive is not standard care. There were no medical personnel to check on them or evaluate them. They were detoxed by a recovering addict who, through experience, learned about the medications but had no idea about the other side effects.
Some people told stories about how they died during detox, either from withdrawal or from an overdose of the medication they were given. Food is not a balanced diet that a normal adult would require, keeping in mind that some people have special diet needs due to unhealthy eating habits or medical complications, but they are unable to obtain dietary needs. The environment is crowded and unsuitable. I had to take action!
Working in the Emergency Department (ED) was something I felt I belonged in after seven years as an emergency physician. I grew up wanting to do something meaningful, something that could change people's lives and make people better in ways that impacted society as a whole. I began talking to people who were involved in the system after witnessing this group of people being mistreated from their own families to health care facilities and sober houses.
I realized that addiction is a disease, just like any other, and that it should be treated as such in order to make a difference. Providing treatment and ongoing care to this group so that they can begin to take care of themselves by understanding their disease and working with them to make the necessary lifestyle changes.
