The government today approved the creation of the System for the Allocation of Support Products to Disabled Military Personnel (SAPADM), such as prostheses or wheelchairs, which aims to simplify procedures and streamline processes.
In a statement, the Ministry of National Defense announced the approval of the ordinance, together with the Ministry of Finance, which creates this new system, defining it as “a new model centered on the beneficiaries, which streamlines the process and allows for greater control in the allocation of medical devices and support products”.
There are many products required by the military disabled, from prostheses, orthotics, wheelchairs, oxygen units, bedpans and walking sticks, among others.
According to the executive, this system “simplifies procedures and establishes a more efficient and adequate control of the needs of the military disabled, through personalized monitoring, which establishes minimum duration times for each support product provided”.
“It is supported by an information system that allows the whole process to be followed up and monitored, as well as detecting constraints in advance and flagging up cases of delays in the supply of support products. The system establishes evaluation and prescription criteria, a list of eligible products and also a bank of support products and accreditation of supplier companies,” reads the statement.
The ministry guarantees that, although the system includes mechanisms that allow for more efficient management of the resources involved, “the rights and benefits of disabled military personnel” will not be limited.
“Finally, SAPADM defines a model that includes strong mediation in the support of disabled military personnel, carried out by the Action Plan for Supporting Disabled Military Personnel as a personalized monitoring structure, including the modality of monitoring and advising at each stage of the process, from the delivery of support products, to possible adaptations, instructions for use and subsequent monitoring,” adds the executive.
This system is made up of the Directorate-General for National Defense Resources, the General Staff of the Armed Forces, through the Armed Forces Hospital, the National Medicines Laboratory, the Armed Forces Social Action Institute and the Action Plan to Support Disabled Military Personnel.
In May, on the 49th anniversary of the ADFA – Associação dos Deficientes das Forças Armadas (Association of Disabled Members of the Armed Forces), in Lisbon, the Minister of Defense announced that the government was working on a computer system that would allow for a “less bureaucratic and more expeditious” allocation of support to disabled members of the Armed Forces, who protested to Helena Carreiras that day, complaining about delays in the allocation of support.
