The Ministry of Solidarity denied the rumours about conducting random drug tests on citizens in Egypt, according to a statement issued by the cabinet's media centre. The statement clarified that the random drug tests will be limited to government employees, in order to maintain a suitable work environment free from drug abuse, which reflects positively on performance in the administrative apparatuses. The cabinet added that the drug tests in the government institutions and ministries is the second step by the Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction is taking after conducting tests on school bus drivers and vocational drivers on highways and internal roads. And, in case the drug testing result is positive, actions will be taken against the violators in accordance with the Civil Service Law and its executive regulations. It mentioned that the fund conducted drug testing on1,900 schools bus drivers until now, during the first educational term, in several governates, and it identified 40 drivers positive, of whom 26 were weed abusers, 11 were Tramadol abusers, and three were morphine abuser, adding that the committee filed a police report for those who proved to bedrug abuses and referred them to the prosecutor. The Head of preventive programmes at the Fund for Drug Control and the Treatment of Addiction, Ibrahim Askar, said they are in the process of amending the Civil Service Law regarding drug testing, and they are going to conduct surprise campaigns on ministers and government institutions in order to conductdrug analyses on employees, during a televised interview on state-owned channel. The Minister of Endowments, Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, stated that the ministry is organising weekly courses for 150 Imams, in coordination with the fund, to increase citizens' awareness about the dangers of addiction, and they are targeting to educate about 3,000 imams in the coming period.
