Remodelling of Faial Hospital and new Health Centre guarantee improved access to health care, says President of the Government
The President of the Government highlighted the investment of nearly 21 million Euros in the full remodelling of Horta Hospital and the construction of the new Faial Island Health Unit under a regional strategy that also provides for a reinforcement of human resources in the Regional Health Service.
"If take into account the 14 million-Euro investment in the first phase of the construction of Block C building of Horta Hospital and the seven million-Euro investment in this new work, the overall investment in health infrastructures on Faial Island reaches 21 million Euros in recent years," said Vasco Cordeiro.
At the ceremony of laying the first stone, the President of the Government also emphasised the integrated approach of the new investment, as it will be located between the Health Centre and the Hospital, thus resulting in clear and direct benefits in the referral, comfort and accessibility of patients.
The location of these health units near the Emergency Services will also improve internal coordination in the management of human resources as well as the proximity to a medical service operating 24 hours a day.
In fact, the intervention in this hospital provides for the remodelling of Emergency Services, the modernisation of the air conditioning system in Operating Rooms, the improvement of conditions in the Intensive Care Unit and the creation of an Intermediate Care Unit.
"If our determination to guarantee better infrastructural conditions in the Regional Health Service is evident, it is also clear the effort we have undertaken to allocate the human resources deemed necessary to perform their functions with increased swiftness and efficiency," said the President of the Government.
"Bearing this goal in mind, I can announce that, under the vacancies we opened in the Region last year, the Horta Hospital will soon receive another 40 nurses, technical and operational assistants, representing a significant reinforcement of human resources that will join the more than 500 professionals providing services here," said the government official.
According to the President of the Government, this work in the Horta Hospital and Faial Island Heath Unit falls within the regional strategy that has been implemented in recent years to ensure better conditions to the Regional Network of Health Infrastructures.
In this regard, the Government has already moved forward with the rehabilitation of Calheta Health Centre on São Jorge Island and the Santa Cruz das Flores Health Centre, and has awarded the contract work for the remodelling of Lajes do Pico Health Centre.
In addition, the Government has improved care and working conditions in several health units throughout the Region in the context of the decentralisation of health care. This initiative is crucial to ensure the access of certain population groups, namely the elderly.
Under this strategy, this intervention will be followed by the recently awarded works in Velas Health Centre, the Psychiatric Outpatient Unit of Ponta Delgada Hospital, whose tender has been launched, and the expansion of the Emergency Services of Horta Hospital, which is at project phase.
"In fact, within this investment strategy in the Regional Health Service, we have invested about 56 million Euros since 2012, of which 15 million were invested in this term," said Vasco Cordeiro.
In his speech, Vasco Cordeiro emphasised the effort undertaken in the reinforcement of human resources to render the Regional Health Service increasingly accessible and able to respond to the new demands. According to him, it is the cornerstone of this structure spread by nine islands and 19 municipalities."
"There are about 5,000 professionals who work on a daily basis to give shape to a Regional Health Service that, despite the challenges it will always have to overcome, has shown to live up to the increasing demand it has faced over time," stated the government official.
According to Vasco Cordeiro, these professionals are responsible for improving the capacity of the Regional Health Service from 605 consultations in 2012 from more than 800 thousand in 2017, representing an increase of 32 percent.
These professionals also demonstrate a high level of dedication and professionalism that have enabled us to increase the number of surgeries, from 14 thousand in 2012 to more than 25 thousand in 2017, which corresponds to a growth of 75 percent in this period," said the President of the Government.