18 December 2025
On 17 December 2025, INHSU, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Médecins du Monde (MdM) hosted a webinar “Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment (OAMT) as an Essential Health Service: Implementation Guidance on Mitigating Disruption of Services for Opioid Dependence”.
The session presented new WHO recommendations to support uninterrupted access to OAMT, examined the impacts of service disruptions, and highlighted global efforts to protect life-saving interventions for people who use drugs.
OAMT is a safe, effective, and life-saving intervention that must be maintained without interruption. The new WHO implementation guidance supports countries to integrate OAMT into national health systems, with stable financing, reliable supply, and equitable access for people who use drugs.
It was a pleasure to collaborate with WHO and Médecins du Monde on the launch of this important guidance, which provides practical direction for protecting continuity of care in challenging and unstable contexts.
Speakers and topics
The webinar featured:
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Tereza Kasaeva (WHO) – Opening remarks
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Anja Busse (WHO) – Introduction and launch of the guidance
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Anton Basenko (INPUD) – The impact of foreign aid cuts on harm reduction and communities
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Peter Vickerman (University of Bristol) – Modelling the effects of OAMT service disruptions
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Tatyana Sleiman (Skoun Lebanese Addictions Center, Lebanon) – Country case study
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Michel Kazatchkine (Global Commission on Drug Policy) – Positioning the guidance within the global drug policy landscape
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Dévora Kestel (WHO) – Closing remarks
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Moderator: Annette Verster
