A number of service models were examined including the concepts of 'rehabilitation before detoxification' and 'open community' approaches to drug treatment as well as oral substitution. Confident in the effectiveness of the model as an HIV prevention and care strategy for injecting drug users in India, Sharan initiated the current project, 5 city project ,supported by the European Community, with the view of strengthening the capacity of other NGOs in four other Indian cities and to introduce outpatient drug treatment services such as oral substitution, needle and syringe exchange, drop-in centers, abscess management, etc. The establishment of the new centers in the five cities was informed by a series of RSAs, undertaken in 1998, and further needs assessments of potential areas needing intervention.