The Regional Secretary for Health stated today in Angra do Heroísmo that the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Region and the Portuguese Republic represents the strengthening of an already existing cooperation that now extends to new areas.
 
"We have a good understanding between the Regional Health Service and the National Health Service, as evident in the reciprocity agreement signed in 2016. The document highlights the principle of proximity, which is now embodied in another set of matters addressed in a single document," said Rui Luís. The government official spoke after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health and the Regional Secretariat for Health, noting that the agreement also focuses on the increase of training and collaboration in the area of information systems.
 
"We have to increasingly invest in information technologies insofar as what is effective nationwide can be also applied in the Region," stressed the government official.
 
The document now signed provides for the training of health professionals, clinical research, development of medical tourism and the participation in working groups of common interest.
 
The Secretary for Health also stated that the "investments made are aimed at improving the accessibility of the Azores to Regional Health Service and also to the National Health Service."
 
There are seven cooperation agreements in force between the Ministry of Health and the Regional Secretariat for Health, which are now part of a single protocol.
 
These agreements provided for cooperation in areas such as network management, information and statistics, reciprocity of prescriptions, telemedicine, movement of doctors and health technicians and technical support in terms of the intervention scope of the Regional Health Inspectorate.
 
Under the document signed today, the forms of collaboration between the Region and the Portuguese Republic take the form of information exchange, technical consultancies, specific protocols, conferences and seminars, exchanges and collaboration networks.
 
The Memorandum of Understanding results from a meeting between the Regional Secretary for Health and the Minister of Health in 2017; its signing is part of Adalberto Campos Fernandes' visit to the Azores.
 
The programme also included a visit to the Terceira Hospital and the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service.