City of Tshwane partners with University of Pretoria to fight drug abuse

Recently the City of Tshwane Health Department and representatives from the University of Pretoria held productive engagements to discuss the Community Orientated Substance Use Programme (COSUP). Since May 2016, the City has partnered with the University of Pretoria to assist in the development and implementation of a community-based substance use intervention programme. As part of the partnership, the City has been providing a substance abuse response service, in line with the National Drug Master Plan 2019–2024 through an evidence-based community-oriented substance use programme.

COSUP is a multi-disciplinary programme which operates through a network of partnerships, both governmental and non-governmental. The programme delivers a range of services, including demand reduction, treatment, education and rehabilitation. It involves medical interventions, counselling, social services, HIV/AIDS and TB screening, needle exchange programmes, opioid substitution therapy and post-rehabilitation support.

The devastating socio-economic impact of drug and substance abuse is well documented. As the MMC for Health, I want to encourage anyone impacted directly and indirectly to make use of the services available at the 16 COSUP sites in Tshwane. It is through collaborations like COSUP that we aim to bring about a city that is free from the burden of the abuse of drugs and substances.