More babies born with addiction in Glasgow than rest of Scotland
MORE than 150 babies have been born in the Glasgow area addicted to drugs in the past three years.
The shocking new figures have been revealed after it was discovered that almost 600 children have been born across Scotland with some form of drug addiction since 2015.
The problem was worse in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, with 178 infants born addicted to drugs over the three years.
Data from health boards showed 584 infants – almost four a week – were delivered suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) over the period.
The Liberal Democrats, who obtained the figures using Freedom of Information, said they showed why Scotland needed to have a “more progressive” policy for dealing with drug abuse.
Their health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “On average, a baby is born every other day in Scotland addicted to harmful substances. These are terrible circumstances under which to take your first breath.”
Babies born with NAS, which is caused by drugs passing to a child during pregnancy, can suffer from a range of symptoms, including uncontrollable trembling, hyperactivity, and highpitched crying.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said the problem could “be avoided with the right combination of policies and support to help those misusing drugs, protecting them and future generations”.
He argued: “Alcohol and drug partnerships were set back massively by the Scottish Government’s brutal £20million funding cuts.
“It was rightly overturned two years later but the sector is still in recovery, local facilities are depleted and these distressing statistics show just how misjudged and dangerous that decision was. It can’t happen again.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are committed to giving every child the best start in life.
“Our new combined drug and alcohol strategy, publishing in the coming weeks, will focus on how services can adapt to meet the needs of those most in need – including those not ready to abstain from drug use.
“We have recently released further funding to reduce the harms caused by alcohol and drugs, bringing the total provided to more than £70m this financial year.”