The regional secretary for Social Affairs affirmed, today, that the number of deaths by cerebrovascular disease has been coming to decrease in the Azores, thanks to the progresses registered in the patients' treatment with this pathology in the Region.
In the inauguration of the Cerebrovascular Disease Unit of the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada, Domingos Cunha specified that the rate of proportional mortality lowered of 40,23 percent in 2003 for 38,99 percent in 2005, in the Azores.
The governor anticipated that the proportion of the population in percentage by Cerebral Haemorrhage (AVC)) in the Azores is of 1,4 percent, whereas in the Mainland it ascends to 1,6 percent.
Considering the prevention as essential, chiefly for risk groups such as the diabetics, hypertense ones, obese ones and old ones, he enhanced that three hours is the time that the patient with AVC has to be precociously treated, avoiding this way the aggravation of his health condition, inherent complications to the pathology and to minimize sequels.
For Domingos Cunha, the Cerebrovascular Disease Unit of the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital is going to contribute to a harmonious development of appropriate high and of follow-up plans, making easy the brain-rehabilitation and the rehabilitation of the patient, as well as the reduction of the familiar, social and economical impact.
It is a significant step forward in the quick and efficient treatment of this disease considered the third cause of death in the whole world, he added.
In accordance with Domingos Cunha, the AVC's are among the main causes of morbidity, mortality and disability in Portugal, having added that the rate of mortality is of around 200 in each 100 thousand inhabitants.
The secretary for Social Affairs added, equally, that that pathology is still responsible for the admission of more than 25 thousand patients per year and for a high degree of incompetence, being that 50 percent of the patients who survive an AVC keep limitations in the activities of the daily life.
Therefore, he guaranteed that the Regional Government wants to keep on contributing, actively, for the progress of all the sectors of activity and, in individual, in an area so important as the health.
He also advocated that the principal objectives of the insertion of effective policies of improvement of the quality in the health services always pass for promoting the health of the population, structuring the services and guaranteeing the professional competence of the health carers.
He still pointed out the political interest of the Regional Government in guaranteeing that the different human, financial, technological resources and of information are used in an efficient way, as to satisfy the users of the services and all its health professionals.
The AVC unit is a geographically well defined space in the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital; where there are concentrated all the technical and human means specialized in the patients' treatment with cerebrovascular pathology.
This new unit of intermediate type, proposed by the Service of Neurology in 2001, will have four beds, complemented by nine more of support, with properly specialized staff.
In the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada, there are admitted in the Neurology Service, per year and on average, 320 patients with cerebrovascular disease, which corresponds to nearly 60 percent of the total of admission of that service.
With the beginning of the working of this unit, it is intended to improve the answer in the treatment and rehabilitation of these patients, with the consequent reduction of the mortality and morbidity and time of admission.