The Regional Secretary for Health confirmed in Ponta Delgada on Thursday evening that the Regional Government will continue to focus its attention and award priority status in the Azores to the reduction of diseases with higher incidence in modern societies, thus promoting the increase of citizens’ life expectancy.

Miguel Correia, who chaired the opening session of the 26th Cardiology Days of the South  and Autonomous Regions, which began on the island of São Miguel on Thursday, took the opportunity to point out that, under the Regional Health Plan, we have already started team work, whether in terms of prevention that is being carried out at healthcare centers, whether in the prevention of tobacco use, or even in the coordination between healthcare centers and hospitals in the field of more differentiated interventions.

The Regional Secretary added that health facilities and professional have now better conditions no to provide faster responses, saving more lives and reducing the consequences of cardiovascular diseases.

For Miguel Correia, this joint effort is evidenced in the Coronary Green Way,  which has been implemented throughout the Region since the beginning of July. Clinical protocols have been signed with all health facilities that will result in the faster diagnosis and treatment of acute myocardial infarction.

The Regional Secretary for Health praised the Department of Cardiology at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, because it is one of the first national centres to implement cardiac resynchronizers in 2002. It is also the second centre, nationwide, and the 14th in Europe with the largest number of patients using these devices, monitored from a distance and integrated in the Latitude programme, which, according to Miguel Correia, is a remarkable asset for a population living on nine islands.
 
This service is responsible for conducting an annual average of about 800 coronarographies and 300 angioplasties, thus providing a respond to the needs of the Azorean population.

The government official considered that the organisation of meetings such as the Cardiology Days represents the concern of health professionals to keep up with  technological innovations, to share experiences and good practices, always with purpose of providing better medical responses and safeguard the citizens’ quality of life.