PrEP in the Community: GAT launches community consultations in Lisbon

The Group of Ativists on Treatment (GAT) is launching community PrEP consultations at the GAT Checkpoint LX and GAT Intendente centers. This decision comes in response to the almost total breakdown in access to initial hospital consultations for PrEP in Lisbon, which are currently not scheduling new appointments until 2025.

While health authorities are slow to respond to this public health emergency, people continue to become infected for life, waiting for their first consultation to start PrEP, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, which is already recognized by the scientific community as an extremely safe, effective, and inexpensive means of preventing HIV.

Since 2019, endless waits in hospitals to access PrEP have resulted in new HIV infections. This is revealed in a 2024 GAT investigation, in which at least 20 people referred by GAT for PrEP were diagnosed with HIV while waiting for their appointment at hospitals.

We no longer accept waiting times in public hospitals that result in HIV diagnoses, so GAT is moving forward with the resources currently available. Anyone interested in taking PrEP with GAT should register using the interest form available.

February 3, 2026
Important notice
Due to a lack of funding, new PrEP registrations at GAT Checkpoint and GAT Intendente are temporarily suspended. People who already have an appointment will still be seen. However, it is not possible to schedule new initial appointments, nor can we give a date for when this suspension will be lifted. We appreciate your understanding.

Given this scenario, the evidence becomes even clearer: Lisbon continues to be the municipality with the highest demand and greatest need for access to PrEP, and also the one with the most annual HIV diagnoses.

The previous and current governments have publicly confirmed the priority of ensuring access to PrEP outside of hospitals, including through the working group launched in October 2024 to define the conditions for public funding to community organizations, of which GAT is a member.

Despite this, to date, no Local Health Unit involved in this process has signed the necessary contracts to start pilot projects with public funding. GAT, which is part of this effort with other associations such as Abraço and the Portuguese League Against AIDS, has decided not to wait any longer. It is now starting this essential service for HIV prevention with its own efforts and scarce resources.

“GAT is moving forward with its limited resources while waiting for a minimally sustainable decision and implementation to materialize” explains Luís Mendão, Director-General of GAT, who calls for urgency in moving forward with public funding in order to safeguard public health.

The first community PrEP consultations are taking place at the two GAT centers, Checkpoint LX and GAT Intendente, under Ordinance No. 402/2023 of December 4, issued by the then Secretary of State for Health Promotion. This ordinance allows community-based organizations with qualified medical professionals to prescribe and monitor people on PrEP.

We anticipate that demand will exceed our initial response capacity, which is limited due to the current lack of funding. Therefore, a waiting list will be created with the aim of:

• Ensuring access to community PrEP consultations at GAT centers, in the order of registration on the interest form, when places become available;
• Pressure the government, the Ministry of Health, the Executive Committee of the National Health Service, and Local Health Units (which need to include the reduced costs of PrEP in their budgets) to accelerate the process of public funding for pilot projects.

Fill out the interest form here.

Advocating for PrEP for 10 years

GAT was a pioneer in advocating for the availability of PrEP in Portugal. Today, we advocate for the accessibility of PrEP. Community mobilization matters more than ever.

Since 2022, we have begun work on GAT Checkpoint LX and GAT Intendente to adapt the facilities for PrEP. Since we have no funding, we continue to raise funds to expand the centers' response capacity, upgrade ventilation and air conditioning, and provide the necessary conditions for storing medicines and other clinical materials. So far, more than €3,000 has been raised, but we are still far from the goal that will allow us to meet GAT's needs.

Support GAT's crowdfunding and help us ensure an effective response capacity for PrEP.