Portugal: Challenges of a model country with harm reduction

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Portugal: Challenges of a model country with harm reduction

5 February 2013

The Portuguese national organisation (National Association of Pharmacies) responsible for managing the Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) in Portugal informed the Government of their decision to abandon the program launched in 1993 to prevent HIV/AIDS.

The contract between the Portuguese Government and the agency expired on the 27th of November, and they intimated that they were no longer able to comply with the protocol, due to the lack of syringe stocks, and leaving the Ministry of Health responsible for finding a solution to the needle supply crisis.

The National Needle Exchange Program (called “Say No to a Second Hand Syringe”) was introduced in 1993 and managed the delivery of drug use paraphernalia and condoms to outreach harm reduction teams through pharmacies enrolled in the program.

Read the full article here.

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