The organisation of initiatives to promote and disseminate the practice of volunteering in the Azores is crucial to raise the awareness of the population for this practice, stressed the Regional Director for Health in Ponta Delgada this morning.

Sofia Duarte spoke at the opening session of the seminar "2011 - European Year of Volunteering" on behalf of the Regional Secretary of Health, stressing the role of volunteers who are nowadays an active resource in favour of people, families and the communities where they live.

Their action is characterised by gratuitousness, dedication and commitment, offering help and skills through a direct, punctual, regular and, sometimes daily, action, which is embodied by the association such as the League of Friends of the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, mentioned the Regional Director.

For Sofia Duarte, this association which provides daily support, either making the connection between patients and family members in the ER or providing a more direct accompaniment to patients, plays a major role in the Regional Health Service.

"A differentiated human resource" that is how the Regional Director for Health classifies the performance of this association which ensures the provision of care in an informal way, but not with less quality, contributing to their excellence.

These days, it is not too much to say that voluntary service is particularly necessary, as values such as solidarity, charity and sensibility are increasingly forgotten in this world.

Therefore, it is important to praise the role of the volunteers, who are willing to give up their own needs and time to alleviate the needs of other people, thus bringing a humane dimension to health care, highlighted the Regional Director for Health

Sofia Duarte also left a word of appraisal to participants, the themes to be discussed at this meeting, stressing the importance of updating knowledge and skills in the context of training that should also guide the performance of voluntary service.