The establishment of the CRI for Obesity and Diabetes aims to achieve health improvements by placing patients at the center of comprehensive care, from diagnosis to the prevention and treatment of complications, announced the Board of Directors of ULS Médio Tejo, based in Torres Novas, Santarém district.
The project, specializing at the Tomar hospital unit and offering outpatient consultations across all three ULS hospitals in Abrantes, Tomar, and Torres Novas, will also expand patient access through telemedicine. It includes other measures such as significantly increasing the use of continuous insulin infusion systems, known as state-of-the-art ‘insulin pumps’.
Noting the consistent rise in obesity prevalence in Portugal, affecting an increasing number of adults and children, the ULS highlights that this trend, coupled with an aging population, contributes to a rising prevalence of diabetes.
Addressing these public health issues requires an integrated approach that embraces prevention, timely diagnosis, effective treatment, and continuous monitoring, the ULS states.
The new CRI is seen as a significant step in this direction, assembling a team of healthcare professionals including specialists in Internal Medicine, General Surgery, and Nephrology, working closely with Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, and Physiatry services, as well as diabetes-specialized nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, and a podiatrist, according to ULS Médio Tejo.
“With this multidisciplinary team and integrated approach, we can offer more effective, comprehensive, and equitable care to diabetes and obesity patients in our region,” says CRI Director Cristina Gonçalves. She emphasizes that this initiative represents an important step towards improving community health and well-being.
Since its inception, ULS Médio Tejo has created four separate CRIs with multidisciplinary health professional teams: Orthopedics (October 2023), Mental Health (July 2024), Ambulatory Surgery (October 2024), and now Obesity and Diabetes.
ULS Médio Tejo provides direct services to approximately 169,270 residents in the municipalities of Abrantes, Alcanena, Constância, Entroncamento, Ferreira do Zêzere, Mação, Sardoal, Tomar, Torres Novas, Vila Nova da Barquinha, and Vila de Rei, located within the Santarém and Castelo Branco districts. The structure includes three hospitals: Abrantes, Tomar, and Torres Novas, each about 30 kilometers apart.
You may also be interested in:
