At present, patients are “aging with multiple chronic diseases, with a very high prevalence,” a situation that “will worsen,” as life expectancy continues to increase rapidly. This was stated during the opening session of the 12th Congress on Active and Healthy Aging in the Centro Region, taking place today in Coimbra.
In Portuguese society, there has been a rapid shift in the age pyramid, and although the National Health Service (SNS) has modernized and adapted, its functional and organizational structure “has not significantly changed.”
“There is a need to adapt the Health Service to an age pyramid that is very different from the one that existed when the system was created in the 1970s,” said the official.
“Never before has the average life expectancy reached the current values,” a rapid change that has been difficult to adapt to.
Currently, “there is a huge list of chronic diseases,” notably in diversity, but also in prevalence starting from age 65, affecting 40% to 45% of the population.
If nothing is done, “what will happen is that the increase in average life expectancy will be accompanied by an increase in individuals with chronic diseases, and obviously, this has a heavy cost,” he emphasized.
The Multidisciplinary Institute of Aging in Portugal aims to “produce knowledge that helps with this problem,” compressing “the period of chronic diseases to the maximum” and extending “healthy longevity to the maximum.”
The MIA will be inaugurated in 2026, a project funded with 15 million euros by the European Commission, in addition to national funds through the Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR) of the Centro, which includes international and national partners, such as the University of Coimbra (UC).
The facility will be located in the former Pediatric Hospital of Coimbra and will house between 200 and 220 researchers and up to 65 technicians.
According to Manuel Santos, the MIA will develop pilot projects in the population, aiming to produce knowledge for future transmission, as well as trying to create a kind of ‘cowork’ with thousands of people, together with the Local Health Unit (ULS), to gather data and “determine health trajectories.”
The professor at the University of Coimbra also noted that healthy aging, besides being achieved through public policies, also depends on individual actions, such as exercising, monitoring alcohol and tobacco consumption, and maintaining a healthy diet.
Furthermore, he highlighted that current healthcare is heavily centered on health centers and hospitals, although preventive medicine and education for healthy lifestyle habits are indispensable.
Also present at the opening session, the president of the Coimbra City Council, Ana Abrunhosa, stated that the MIA is an intergenerational project for the city, addressing the challenges of aging.
