Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Greece’s first Supervised Injection Site (SIS) at the Organisation Against Drugs (ΟΚΑΝΑ) in Athens on Monday.
During his visit, Mitsotakis chatted with both former and current drug addicts and staff at the centre, and said he was “really impressed by the quality of the space and the willingness of all employees to support users.”
The new facility offers 12 specially designed booths for the use of injectable or inhalable narcotics already acquired by the user, a clinic, which can handle overdosing incidents, accommodation, counselling and psychological support, and access to detox programs.
The site, which has been nicknamed ‘Steki 46’ (Hangout 46) by those who use it, also provides food and clothes, syringes, condoms and COVID-19 self-diagnostic tests, among other supplies.
Mitsotakis had committed to the creation of an SIS during a meeting he had held with former drug addicts in late 2018, prior to the 2019 summer national elections, noted government sources.
Deputy Health Minister for Mental Health, Zoe Rapti, said setting up the first SIS in Athens was the result of specific legislation and ministerial decisions on its operating conditions.
It is a place that “actually helps to reduce the damage caused by drugs,” Ms Rapti, who visited the centre with the Greek PM, said.
It is a place that will save lives, the Deputy Minister concluded.
Source: Ekathimerini.
