Between 28 and 31 October 2019, the Coordinator of the COPOLAD Working Group for Piloting Project Quality and Evidence Standards Validation visited Ecuador in coordination with representatives of the Project for the Creation and Implementation of Services of the Community Mental Health Network and State Centres for Addiction Recovery and Technical Management of Drug Prevention, conduct a workshop and a series of visits and interviews, as part of the advice requested by that country regarding Ecuador's participation in the Project for Validation and Piloting of Quality Standards in Drug Treatment and the objectives and expectations regarding this accompaniment process. Within the framework of this activity, meetings were also held with professionals from the National Mental Health Team of the Ministry of Public Health.

The workshop was attended by psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and members of the national quality directorates of the Health Services and Health Control of the Ministry of Public Health, among others. The work carried out addressed two fundamental aspects: firstly, the revision and improvement of the instrument for granting the Operating Permit, in the context of the Licensing Protocol. Secondly, the importance of implementing a system to improve the quality of drug treatment programs was discussed, starting with those that are part of the public care network, based on the work carried out in the Quality Standards Validation and Piloting Project developed with Ecuador. As a result of the work carried out, a Road Map was drawn up with agreements to be implemented by the people and institutions that participated in the Workshop.

All the authorities gathered in the workshop and those with whom meetings were held during these days in the framework of the advisory, expressed their satisfaction with the process and their interest in this can contribute to improving the quality of Mental Health Programs in Ecuador and, in that context, the Drug Treatment Programs.

With these actions, COPOLAD has begun to provide follow-up and support to the countries that are firmly committed to moving towards the creation of the necessary conditions for the development of regulatory frameworks for quality assurance, to optimize care for people with problematic drug use.