The Regional Director for Health highlighted in Oeiras the progress and results achieved in the Regional Health Service for the benefit of patients, from its inception to the present moment.
 
"We are progressively moving towards health management instead of disease management, considering the life path of citizens. We have promoted an increasing access to information, accountability and involvement, with a view to achieving results, i.e., the so-called health gains," said the government official.
 
Tiago Lopes spoke at the C-Health Congress, during a round table on "The circuit of patients in the health system - Interoperability in health: involving patients, families and health professionals." On the occasion, he mentioned as examples the decrease in the mortality rate in the Azores, which is currently the lowest in the country, Telemedicine and the availability of nutritionists and dentists in all regional Health Units.
 
Moreover, the Regional Director mentioned information and monitoring systems to point out that encouraging "health units to start working with outcome indicators to the detriment of process indicators" is one of our main challenges.
 
According to Tiago Lopes, an effective management of patients' journey in the health system requires the integration of care and sectors as well as the collaboration and complementarity of all services, favouring teamwork.
 
Tiago Lopes also gave the example of the Regional Strategy to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion, implemented in the Region, as the path to follow instead of generic health plans, which are too comprehensive and oblivious to local specificities.
 
"With this strategy, the Region becomes an example, through which the Health sector should not be dissociated from Social areas, Employment and Education," said the government official.
 
The Regional Director defended that the improvement of the patients' journey in the health system lies in the integration of care, the integration of sectors, the promotion of literacy in health, and the establishment of individual plans and local health plans.