| Go back or Close Window |
In its advisory report, the Committee of the Health Council emphasized the medical context of the advice. A physician has the obligation to provide every patient with treatment, aimed at improving the patient's medical situation. In all cases, the starting point is to avoid harm to the patient. According to the Health Council, the following hierarchy of - sometimes overlapping - goals of (pharmacological) treatment of addiction can be distinguished:
Given these goals, and provided that the treatment is intended
to bring about an improvement of the patient's medical status and has a starting
point not to harm the patient, the Committee considered the prescription of
substances such as heroin by a medical doctor in the context of medical treatment
to be good clinical practice. In addition, good clinical practice, by means
of an individual approach of addicts as patients, has public health implications,
and medical professionals have a responsibility in the area of public health
as well (Health Council, 1995).
Hence, a clear distinction is made between the medical concepts of 'prescription'
and 'dispensing' on the one hand, and 'free supply' on the other. Whereas the
first two concepts refer to a situation in which a medical doctor attempts to
cure the patient or alleviate his symptoms or disorder by means of medical treatment
and on medical indication, the latter term refers to the provision of substances
at the patient's request without medical indication (Health Council, 1995).
Given the medical context of the advice, the Committee of the Health Council
did not make any statements with regard to the public discussion on any form
of legalization of heroin.