Municipal Executive voted the call for proposals for Supervised Drug consumption Rooms in Porto

The capital gains of such initiative are as follows: creating a dignified, safe and sanitary consumption environment, improving accessibility, accession to health services, boost the collaboration between health and social services and raising awareness on such issues such as treatment and provide the respective follow-up.

One year after the signing of the protocol and after contacts between the Health authorities, Porto City Hall and the Intervention Services on Addictive Behaviour and addictions, a health and management model was adopted by the Supervised Consumption in the Municipality of Porto. The implementation of this programme entails municipal investment in the amount of circa 650 thousand euros, whereas 270 thousand euros accrue to the managing entity for the period of one year, on a trial basis.

The choice of such entity will be led by a jury, chaired by the president of the Public Health Institute, Henrique Barros, jointly with a member appointed by the councillor for Housing and Social Cohesion, and another three members, each designated by these partner entities: Intervention Services on Addictive Behaviour and addictions (SICAD), Northern Regional Administration (ARS Norte) and the Local District Social Security Centre.

The chosen entity should have experience in this type of action in the city, and it will be permanently monitored by the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, whose members are João Goulão (director of SICAD), Ponciano Oliveira (voting member of ARS Norte), Rosário Loureiro (associate director of the local district social security centre) and Fernando Paulo (councillor for Housing and Social Cohesion of Porto City Hall).

The document was approved during the Executive Meeting, on Monday and it is the outcome of several years of study and planning. “The Law has been in place for over 20 years, but this is one of the first answers in the country”, noted the councillor in charge of the proposal, Fernando Paulo, who praised the fundamental role of Mayor Rui Moreira in the process.

This equipment will be located in the western part of the city, near the Albino Aroso statue, close to the Bairro Novo da Pasteleira, in Lordelo do Ouro. “It will be 90 square metres and the capacity to implement up to ten individual areas, with physical separation, between the area destined to smoked drugs and the area to injecting drug use, including ventilation and exhausters. Moreover, there will be a set of associated services, namely support to a safer consumption, access to infectious disease tracking, access to basic healthcare and an up-to-date reference to other social responses”, explained councillor for Housing and Social Cohesion.

This programme will provide a solution for a public health problem, although the competence in this matter is not of the Municipality. “We will pay 650 thousand euros that are the competence of the Ministry of Health. And the work is going to be madness in an issue that does not fall under our competence. We are, once again, taking something and paying for something that falls under the competence of the Ministry of health”, emphasised Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira.