The new hospital will not solve the chronic and structural problems of Madeira's Regional Health Service on its own. Several speakers made this point at the parliamentary days of the Socialist Party in Madeira (PS-Madeira). They came from unions and professional groups across the health sector.
Juan Carvalho, president of Madeira's nurses' union, said many problems have dragged on for years. They were not solved when the health service became a public business entity. The service still suffers from the cuts of the economic and financial adjustment plan the region went through.
Health is a complicated sector, with many interactions and pressures of all kinds. And when, as often happens over time, the right measures are not taken at the right moments, the effects show up much later.
Juan Carvalho, President of Madeira's Nurses' Union
According to Carvalho, the service lacks equipment, everyday supplies and staff, above all nurses. It has about 2,080 nurses today, when it should have 2,500. Carvalho wants the people in charge of health to change the measures that hold the service back before the move to the new hospital.
LĂdia Ferreira, of the Independent Doctors' Union, agreed. A new building will not fix problems that are about staff, Ferreira said. The system is centred on emergency care, when it should put more into prevention through family doctors. Ferreira also called for a social service that can deal with difficult hospital discharges.
Mental Health Needs Better Links
Mathieu Santos, a mental health nurse at Marmeleiros Hospital, said more people suffer from anxiety and burnout. In adults this is often linked to work and the cost of living, while older people suffer from isolation. Almost 30% of young Madeirans have already had psychiatric care, twice the share of adults.
Santos said the problem is the missing link between the parts that already exist. Santos named health centre nurses, psychiatrists, the hospital and local units. Care after a hospital stay does not always follow in time.
Too Few Dentists and Nutritionists
Dentist LuĂs Filipe Correia said 65% of the population is missing teeth. Health centres gave 28,000 dental appointments last year, which Correia called not enough. Correia wants more dentists in health centres and more work on prevention, including of oral cancer.
Diana Silva, who represents the Order of Nutritionists in Madeira, said the region went almost ten years without hiring nutritionists. Today there is one for every 12,000 people. Silva called this clearly not enough, as more than 60% of the population is overweight.
Source: dnoticias.pt
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