Evaluating Social Impact The Mobile Outreach Program’s Success in Hepatitis C Treatment and Investment Return

Introduction:

The fight against Hepatitis C (HCV) is critical in reducing global health burdens, especially among vulnerable populations. A recent study evaluates the Social Return on Investment (SROI) for Portugal’s Mobile Outreach Program (MOP), demonstrating how targeted interventions can simultaneously improve public health outcomes and create measurable socioeconomic value. Visit https://www.addictiontherjournal.com/ for more groundbreaking research in this field.

Assessing the Social Return on Investment in Hepatitis C Care

The World Drug Report emphasizes that Hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver disease, contributing to around 700,000 deaths annually. People who inject drugs (PWID) are among the highest-risk groups for HCV transmission, accounting for 78% of new cases in Europe.

Key Findings:

• The Mobile Outreach Program (MOP) in Lisbon, Portugal, integrates harm reduction, screening, and treatment for high-risk populations.
• For every €1 invested, the program delivers a return of €3.87 to society, demonstrating significant social and economic benefits.
• Between 2018 and 2020, the program:
  • Treated 130 individuals for HCV.
  • Helped 37 individuals reintegrate into active employment.
  • Reduced petty crimes linked to drug dependency.
  • Achieved a cost saving of €2.6 million for the Portuguese National Health System (NHS) by preventing severe liver disease.

Read the full study at https://doi.org/10.29328/journal.jatr.1001029

The Mobile Outreach Program (MOP): A Community-Driven Solution

The MOP, led by the NGO Ares do Pinhal, is a mobile harm reduction initiative delivering daily medical and psychosocial services to over 1,200 drug users in Lisbon. The program ensures:

• Needle-exchange services.
• Directly observed HCV treatment at mobile units.
• On-site specialist consultations via partnerships with hospital gastroenterologists.

A detailed analysis can be found in our main journal article.

The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) underscores that community-based HCV interventions, especially those focusing on harm reduction and simplified treatment access, are pivotal in achieving global hepatitis elimination targets.

Societal and Health Benefits: A Measurable Impact

The study identified three monetizable benefits:

• Economic reintegration of drug users, contributing tax revenues and reducing social benefit dependencies.
• Healthcare cost savings by preventing progression to liver cancer and cirrhosis.
• Reduction in crime rates related to substance use, decreasing public spending on policing and administrative procedures.

Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to advocate for mobile and accessible health interventions to reach populations often excluded from traditional healthcare systems.

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