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12 million line for gastroenterology services

12 million line for gastroenterology services

Gastroenterologist, Pediatrician. Abdominal Examination with Stethoscope

The Executive Directorate of the National Health Service (DE-SNS) has launched a specific funding line with 12 million euros for the clinical activity of gastroenterology, namely to buy equipment and improve infrastructure.

According to information released by DE-SNS, expenses for the purchase of equipment for gastroenterology services are eligible for this program, namely “medical equipment considered indispensable for the provision of quality health care”, studies and infrastructural intervention projects in gastroenterology services, as well as the works themselves.

According to the order published in the “Diário da República” last week, signed by the former Minister of Health, Manuel Pizarro, the funding to be allocated is part of the contractualization process for health care in the SNS and is formalized by means of an addendum to the program contract for SNS health units for 2024, up to a limit of 12 million euros.

Projects eligible for financial incentives must include work on gastroenterology services or the purchase of equipment for these services with an individual value of more than 15 thousand euros.

The Financial Incentive Program for the Qualification of Gastroenterology Services in the NHS expects the projects to be completed by the end of this year.

According to the regulation, funding can reach up to 100% of the value of eligible expenses, including the amount relating to Value Added Tax (VAT), and applications that obtain support from outside the Ministry of Health, from local authorities, private entities or others, are valued.

Quoted in today’s press release, the executive director of the SNS, Fernando Araújo, emphasizes that the investment in upgrading gastroenterology services “is an investment in one of the most important areas of medicine and ensures conditions to improve not only cancer screening, both for colorectal cancer and gastric cancer, but also their diagnosis and effective treatment”.

The announcement of the start-up of the first Integrated Responsibility Centers (IRC) dedicated to gastroenterology, which will go ahead in six NHS units, was made in March.

At the time, the published decree explained that the pilot projects for gastroenterology would start in the local health units of Coimbra, the hospitals of Santa Maria, Santo António, São João, São José and the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Coimbra, and would last for nine months.

In Portugal, oncological diseases are among the main causes of death, particularly tumors of the gastrointestinal system.

Colon and rectal cancer is the second most common type of cancer in Portugal, accounting for 9% of cancer deaths, and stomach cancer is the fifth most common, causing 8% of cancer deaths.

Chronic liver disease causes multiple complications that are associated with the need for frequent hospital admissions and a reduction in quality of life.

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