Welcome in Cork for pilot programme that will see Gardaí equipped with naloxone to curb overdoses

AFTER a recent cluster of overdoses in Cork linked to new synthetic opioids which may have been mixed with heroin, the HSE will be partnering with An Garda Síochána in a harm reduction measure.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has signed off on plans to equip frontline gardaí with naloxone, a medication that is used as an antidote to temporarily reverse the effects of opioid drugs such as heroin.

The drug is credited with saving several lives in both Dublin and Cork, where the latest figures show 17 overdoses linked to the synthetic opioid nitazene.

It works by displacing opioid molecules from their receptors in the body and brain, and it can help to keep a person alive until an ambulance arrives.

“The matter of the provision of training in the administering of naloxone by members of An Garda Síochána has been sanctioned by the Garda Commissioner and work is currently ongoing towards progressing pilot training for frontline gardaí to carry and administer naloxone in 2024,” a Garda spokesperson told The Echo.

The pilot programme would equip gardaí with naloxone, and see them trained, likely by the HSE, to administer it to members of the public they encounter who are overdosing.

“The HSE are the lead agency in expanding the availability of naloxone to people who use drugs, their peers, and family members. As part of their role as lead agency, training in the administering of naloxone is provided to relevant support groups by the HSE.

“An Garda Síochána continues to work closely with the Health Service Executive National Social Inclusion Office to highlight the use of naloxone and its role in saving lives.” said the spokesperson.

A report by National Drugs Strategy minister Hildegarde Naughton shows that almost 2,000 people participated in overdose awareness and naloxone administration training facilitated by the HSE in 2023.

“I am fully supportive of the work ongoing with An Garda Síochána towards a pilot training frontline gardaí to carry and administer naloxone in 2024,” said Ms Naughton.

Cork City South-West Fianna Fáil councillor Colm Kelleher said naloxone“can be life-saving”.

Regarding the introduction of the new harm reduction measure, he said: “I welcome this news and look forward to seeing how it will transpire and how effective it is during the pilot programme.

“Any news to equip any frontline staff with naloxone is very welcome news, and I personally think that the likes of first responders and fire service men should all be equipped with it,” he said.

“Naloxone should be readily available, as there are a number of individuals in Cork that are dependent on opioids, and we’ve seen a lot of synthetic opioid overdoses over the last number of months.”