Drunken youths flood into hospital By ANNA CHALMERS - The Dominion Post | Friday, 11 April 2008
A six-fold increase in the number of drunken youths admitted to Wellington Hospital has forced doctors to become alcohol counsellors.
New figures show up to 600 patients under 20 years were admitted to the hospital's emergency department in the past year for intoxication or alcohol-related injuries. Hospital emergency medicine specialist Paul Quigley said it was a "six-fold blowout" on the 100 cases previously calculated.
Young females, particularly those aged 14 or 15, were leading the increase and, if current rates continued, would account for 60 per cent of all alcohol admissions under 20 by the end of the year, Dr Quigley said.
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