Dialogos

Deterioration of Public Addiction Treatment Centers: A Political Choice with Vulnerable Victims

Published January 20, 2026, 10:00
Deterioration of Public Addiction Treatment Centers: A Political Choice with Vulnerable Victims

The deterioration of public addiction treatment centers in Cyprus is, according to AKEL, the result of deliberate political choices that harm the most vulnerable citizens. THEMEA of Nicosia, originally designed as a comprehensive 20-bed unit with an outpatient program and prevention initiatives, currently operates with only 6 beds and no outpatient services. Furthermore, the proposed merger of “ANOSIS Lemesos” and the “Multidisciplinary Intervention Center of Nicosia” is considered to undermine specialized community care and the decentralization of mental health services. AKEL strongly criticizes the lack of political will to integrate addiction services into the General Health System (GHS), arguing that this turns addiction into an individual responsibility and paves the way for privatization. The party emphasizes that addiction is a public health and social justice issue, demanding the immediate strengthening and full development of public structures. In its announcement, AKEL describes the shrinking of public addiction treatment centers as a systematic policy that negates the right to treatment and harms vulnerable groups. The merger of the centers is considered contrary to the principles of community psychiatry and decentralization. AKEL calls for the full development of THEMEA, the preservation and strengthening of autonomous community structures, the inclusion of addiction services in the GHS, and the adoption of policies that recognize addiction as a right and obligation of the state. The party blames the Cyprus Anti-Addiction Authority, the OKYPY, the Minister of Health, and the President of the Republic for abandoning addiction services.

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