The government on Thursday approved a decree-law establishing the Institute for Addictive Behavior and Dependence (ICAD), a body that will succeed the current Intervention Service for Addictive Behavior and Dependence (SICAD).
The new institute aims to strengthen responsiveness in the fight against addictive behavior and dependence, integrating the attributions of health care planning, coordination and delivery in this domain.
The new structure was announced on June 7 by the Secretary of State for Health Promotion, who explained at the time that, despite being set up this year, will not “come into full operation” until 2024.
“We have a fully completed project that responds exactly to what the government intends and wants, which is to integrate the coordination of planning powers with that of intervention. This was what was separated” 12 years ago when the Service Intervention in Addictive Behavior and Dependence (SICAD ), Margarida Tavares then revealed in the parliamentary health committee, where she was heard at the request of the PCP to clarify the situation for creating a single structure in the context of addictive behavior and dependence.
Margarida Tavares acknowledged that integrating coordination planning skills with intervention skills “is not easy”, because SICAD is a general department, and it is necessary to find “an agile structure that does not drastically change the structure in terms of resources and even cost terms”.
The official added that the new model, which had to be approved by the Council of Ministers, “has nothing special”, it is only intended to meet the need to provide care.
According to him, “it is a very good solution in terms of integration with the services of the National Health Service” and, in addition to the opening of external tenders, there can also be a mobility of professionals.
Source: DN
