An Egyptian bus driver who tried to avoid a random drugs test by submitting his wife’s urine sample instead of his own was thwarted after it turned out his wife was pregnant. The man had been selected for the standard test as part of his job as a public bus driver, the Al-Yawn al-Sabi website reports.
But his plan was foiled when the urine he submitted contained traces of Human Chorionic Gonadotropic (HCG), leading testers to conclude that the sample was given by a female.
The driver was asked to confirm that the sample was his and on doing so was told “congratulations, you’re pregnant”.
HCG appears in the blood and urine as early as ten days after conception: in this instance the driver was unaware that his wife was two months pregnant when he tried to dupe his employers.
Tamer Amin, a presenter on the political talk show ‘Bottom Line’ said “this story despite being funny has several lessons.”
“First, that drugs have become available to many and have become as common as cigarettes. This is a calamity.”
A source at the Public Transportation Authority Hospital confirmed that in future blood samples will also be required in addition to urine tests to prevent people from providing samples from other people.
Drug use is on the rise in Egypt with tramadol in particular being used as a cheap energy boost – but one which is also addictive. The country also suffers from a high number of deaths on the roads which has led to these drug tests being implemented. The World Health Organisation figures show that about 12,000 people are killed on Egypt’s roads each year.
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