The Regional Secretary for Health stated that the revision of the General Regulation on the Movement of Patients under the Regional Health Service brings clear benefits to patients and to the management of the Regional Health Service.
 
"The promptness and efficiency of this service will be assured by a manager responsible for displaced patients as well as by the provision of more telemedicine consultations and the planned movement of medical specialists," stressed Rui Luís at the public presentation of the new regulation.
 
Speaking to journalists, the Secretary for Health pointed out that the legal document is "mainly focused on patients. We are talking about avoiding the unnecessary movement of patients outside their islands of residence and creating the conditions so that medical specialists and other health professional may travel more often to the islands without hospital."
 
The legal document will enter into force on September 1. It encompasses in single document three separate ordinances on the movement of patients, the additional support for cancer patients and the movement of medical specialists.
 
Among the innovations introduced, we highlight the Manager for Displaced Patients who will be responsible for the simplification of procedures and the planning of travels, thus becoming a mediator between hospitals and the patient movement services of health units.
 
"In fact, the manager will be closer to hospitals and island health units in order to organise travels and make them more efficient," said the government official.
 
Regarding the movement of patients, the new regulation provides for patient processes to be managed in such a manner as to include several consultation or treatments in the same movement and the transport aid will also cover collective land transport. Moreover, it also provides for the provision of health care by a medical specialist through telemedicine services in follow-up consultations.
 
"The first consultation will have to be in person. Depending on the medical specialty and provided that there is no need for another visit, subsequent consultations may be provided through telemedicine services. In these cases, patients will be accompanied by another health professional," explained Rui Luís.
 
 As for the legal scheme on the transport of deceased patients in the context of the movement of patients under the Regional Health Service, approved by Regional Legislative Decree no.6/2018/A of June 19, the legislation provides for the allocation of a daily allowance to the person accompanying the deceased patient until the return to the island of residence. The amount will be equivalent to the one that the patient would receive.
 
The Regional Secretary also highlighted that, in face of an unforeseeable change in the patient's condition occurring outside the island of residence, the board of the health unit where the patient is registered may authorise, upon request, the application of the rules on the movement of patients to the situation concerned.
 
With regard to health professionals, the legal document provides for the restructuring of the procedures in order to improve the management and efficiency of resources.
 
"We have created a series of rules that will allow, in addition to medical specialists, the movement of other health professionals such as psychologists, pharmacists, nutritionists, thus establishing a rotation dynamics within the Regional Health Service," said the Regional Secretary.
 
Furthermore, the legislation also determines the allocation of a daily allowance to displaced health professionals and the time spent in the training of health professionals at the destination health unit will be considered as working hours.
 
In order to ensure a better management of specialty consultations and tests, the legal document determines the creation of an annual plan for the movement of health professionals as well as a system for the previous validation of the list of patients assigned to the health professional.
 
"We want health professionals to move in an organised manner, hence the annual planning of travels with the validation not only from the Clinical Director of the Hospital, but also from the Head of the Service," said the government official.
 
On the occasion, Rui Luis conveyed his belief that the changes now introduced will enhance the benefits of specialty consultations.