Portuguese pharmacies now refer patients for HIV testing to National Health Service
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Pharmacists in the Loures-Odivelas area of Portugal are now formally referring people who test positive for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C to the local health unit, the Unidade Local de Saúde Loures-Odivelas (ULSLOD).
The Unidade Local de Saúde Loures-Odivelas (ULSLOD) and the Associação Nacional das Farmácias (ANF), the national pharmacy association, signed an agreement establishing this process, which is the first of its kind in the country.
This new system aims to reduce obstacles that prevent people from getting diagnosed and treated after initial screening, helping to ensure they continue receiving care. When a pharmacy test shows a positive result, the pharmacist will offer counseling and, with the patient’s permission, begin the referral process to the health unit for confirmation and clinical follow-up. The rapid tests for HIV and the two types of hepatitis are free, confidential, and voluntary, and can even be performed anonymously.
Both organizations emphasized that a positive test result requires confirmation with further medical tests before a diagnosis can be made. Portugal currently has higher rates of HIV than the European average and often diagnoses the infection late, so improving early detection is a public health priority. This initiative is part of the FOCUS program, currently running in pharmacies in the municipalities of Amadora, Sintra, Odivelas, and Loures, and is open to people over 18.
The ULSLOD and ANF intend for this collaboration to serve as a model for other regions of Portugal, with plans for phased implementation across the country.
