Crazy bid to open heroin room to children and pregnant mums

EXCLUSIVE: Pregnant women and children as young as 16 would be able to openly inject themselves with heroin under a shocking proposal put forward by NSW Health.

Pregnant women and children as young as 16 would be able to openly inject themselves.

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PREGNANT women and children as young as 16 would be able to openly inject themselves with heroin under a shocking proposal put forward by NSW Health.

The outrageous plan, contained in a document obtained by The Daily Telegraph, was prepared as part of the five-yearly review of the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross.

“Individuals under 18 are excluded from the part of the MSIC that is used for injecting,” the document says.

“It is likely that by continuing to exclude those under 18 from using the centre, they will inject somewhere else, in less safe circumstances.

Inside the Kings Cross supervised injecting room

“There have been seven instances in the last six years where staff at the centre have had to deny access on the basis that the individual was under 18 years of age.”

On pregnant women, the document says: “Excluding pregnant women from any treatment facility, including the injecting room, does not prevent exposure of the foetus to drugs or alcohol.”

“There have been 25 instances in the last six years where staff at the centre have denied entry to a woman on the basis of pregnancy. It is possible that in turning a pregnant woman away, the foetus may be at risk of unmanaged withdrawal from drug dependency which may cause greater harm.”

Last night, NSW Health said the document represented the views of stakeholders to the review steering committee, not NSW Health’s own views.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and Acting Premier Troy Grant were consulted.

It also confirmed officials met with Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione on Friday to discuss the proposals.

“The document summarises the public submissions provided by key stakeholders as part of the mandatory review of the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre,” a spokesman said. “It is clear NSW Health will not support all positions made by stakeholders in the submissions.”

Acting Premier Troy Grant slammed the proposal as “ridiculous” and “offensive” and said he would make sure it would not proceed.

“These people are absolutely off their rockers,” he said.

“They want to justify opening up the centre for kids to use based on seven people they have turned away in six years.”

The document says the proposal has the backing of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and the Centre for Social Research in Health, among others.