An increasing number of nurse anesthetists in the country are dying from drug addiction. Officials say many of the drugs categorized as pain killers contain elements of cocaine, which is abused by some anesthetists. President of the Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Francisca Haizel Commey, describes the development as worrying and is calling for urgent measures to rehabilitate addicted personnel. Nurse anesthetics usually work in the operating theatres, maternity departments, dental department, obstetric departments, emergency centres, plastic surgery centres and out-patient surgery facilities of hospitals. They are an integral part of the work of a surgeon, a dentist or anesthesiologist and are therefore in constant contact with drugs that have cocaine substances and often abuse the drugs. Luv FM’s Elton John Brobbey reported that the Ghana Medical and Dental Council is formulating a policy to regulate the conduct of nurse anesthetics. Ms Haizel said the association had lost a number of nurse anesthetics to drugs. She said the association also needed a counseling unit to save nurses from self-destruction. Source: Joy News/Ghana