The cost of medical evacuations to Portugal with the support of Cape Verdean social security increased by almost 10.5% in the first quarter of the year, to 1.2 million euros, according to official data compiled this Monday by Lusa.
According to a report on guaranteed payments from January to March by the National Institute of Social Security (INPS), the global cost of transport and stay of these patients in medical evacuations between the islands of Cape Verde and Portugal amounted to 210.8 million escudos (1.9 million euros), 23% more than in the same period of 2021.
Of this total, only with the stay of the patients sent for treatment in Portugal, the INPS —which manages the pensions and social contributions of Cape Verdean workers— spent 132 million escudos (1.2 million euros) in January, February and March. ), when in the same months of 2021 this expense was 119.6 million escudos (close to one million euros), which translated into an increase of practically 10.5%.
Cape Verde intends to reduce the need for medical evacuations to Portugal with the construction of a national hospitalin the capital, a work budgeted at 65 million euros and that the Government plans to start this year.
According to the latest available data from the INPS, Cape Verde sent a total of 249 patients for treatment in Portugal in 2021, an increase of 11.2% compared to 2020, reaching December 31 with 585 patients treated in Portuguese hospitals.
According to the INPS, the “most requested” specialties for these medical evacuations to Portugal, within the framework of bilateral cooperation agreements, were oncology (26.3%), cardiology (22.7%), neurosurgery (15.1% ) and ophthalmology (8.8%). areas where the archipelago has lack of resources.
The cost of medical evacuations to Portugal with the support of Cape Verdean social security fell to 495 million escudos (4.5 million euros) in 2021, compared to 511 million escudos (4.6 million euros) of the previous year), according to data previously released by Lusa.
Cape Verde’s Minister of Health, Arlindo do Rosário, previously acknowledged that, despite the “difficult moment” of Portuguese hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic, Portugal “Doors never closed” Cape Verdean patients in the medical evacuation program.
Even in a difficult moment, Portugal never closed its doors and even so we continue with the evacuation program”, acknowledged the minister.
Arlindo do Rosário insisted that “the cooperation program between Portugal and Cape Verde should be praised, particularly in the health sector”, specifically in areas such as medical evacuations or “support in technical and training assistance” to Cape Verdean specialists, which it allows the country to “progressively gain competencies”.
Source: Observadora
