AZORES | Mónica Seidi advocates strong commitment to Literacy in Health and Primary Health Care
The Regional Secretary for Health and Sport participated in the launch of the Health Promotion Campaign – “São Miguel Island Health Unit on the Street,” which took place this Thursday in Ponta Delgada. On the occasion, Mónica Seidi defended a “strong commitment to literacy in health and primary health care” on all the islands of the Region.
“I hope this type of initiative will be replicated by other Island Health Units in the Region, because the Regional Government has a strong focus on health promotion and disease prevention, in addition to the fact that the promotion of primary health care, essential for any health system, is a major goal for this Government,” he said.
The event promoted by the São Miguel Island Health Unit (USISM) at the Parque Atlântico Shopping Centre included awareness-raising actions on healthy lifestyles promoted by health professionals from that Island Health Unit, namely doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and nutritionists, among other professionals.
In this action, around 800 health users from São Miguel Island were also screened. Mónica Seidi emphasised the importance of these screenings in the early detection of non-communicable diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and obesity, whose incidence has been increasing not only in the Region but also in the country and in Europe.
This is also a way of “bringing health to people and breaking down the barriers that we still have to overcome due to the distance caused by the pandemic, in addition to the urgent need to stop a true “hospital-centred” policy that has been the basis of the Regional Health Service over the past few years,” said the Secretary for Health.
The island of São Miguel has a very satisfactory Family Doctor/GP coverage rate, close to 100%, and the last tender procedure for the hiring of 7 new doctors was launched today, precisely for the São Miguel Island Health Unit.
The Regional Secretary stressed that this “is a situation that makes us very proud.” Nevertheless, she recognised that “it was a difficult road to travel, but we see that it is succeeding and with excellent results for the Azoreans because what moves us is to ensure a solid Regional Health Service that serves users and responds to their concerns.”
Mónica Seidi welcomed the fact that new actions are already scheduled under the Campaign promoted by the São Miguel Island Health Unit: on August 12 at Praia das Milícias beach, in the parish of São Roque, Ponta Delgada, with the collaboration of the Municipality of Ponta Delgada; on September 19 in the municipality of Lagoa, and the remaining municipalities of São Miguel on dates to be announced.
