Location:
Lisbon, Portugal

Context of intervention:
Homeless people live on the fringes of society. Issues such as lack of motivation, frustration, and resistance to change are not easily or quickly solvable. Immigrants have their own ways and customs, and Doctors of the World Portugal attempts to adapt its interventions to each nationality that comes across. Hindrances like lack of information, the difficulties to access healthcare structures, or a dramatic economic situation lead these people to contact the closest helping hand, MdM Portugal.  

Objectives:
The aim of Doctors of the World Portugal is to reduce the transmission rate of transmitted diseases among the Lisbon population living on the street by improving access to primary healthcare. It provides information about HIV/AIDS transmission, and helps overcome the difficulties to access health structures, particularly specialised ones. The Noite Saudável (Health Night) project also provides psychological support, and puts forward prevention in order to lower risk behaviour.

Activities:
Thanks to the Mobile Clinic, potential service users are identified on the streets. Not only does it allow them to benefit from primary healthcare and psychosocial support but it also refers them to partner structures.
Doctors of the World Portugal has integrated a "promotion of social change" section in its programme. This helps patients to become active agents in the achievement of their life project.
Individual and group training courses on health and hygiene are daily provided outdoors by the information team.
Noite Saudável (Health Night) is also a tool for data collection that includes an epidemiologic study and a characterisation of the target population concerned by access to healthcare.
In 2007 Doctors of the World Portugal distributed 276 kits in order to reduce drug users' risk behaviour (syringe exchange programs). Throughout 2007, MdM dealt with 2425 cases.

Beneficiaries:
Noite Saudável (health Night)'s target population is mainly homeless people and migrants, but also unemployed people and people with low economic resources, living close to the poverty threshold.