The administration announced that the gastroenterology service at the Santa Luzia Hospital in Viana do Castelo was robbed early this Wednesday morning, with about 700,000 euros worth of endoscopic equipment stolen.
Lusa contacted Alto Miño Local Health Authority (ULSAM) Board Chairman Franklim Ramos, who said “the service is closed and that the PSP is investigating the robbery.”
The official added that the Santa Luzia hospital “has internal security, and the gastroenterological service has an electronic access card system.”
“The service itself has security conditions, but it is known for sure that it was robbed,” he said.
Franklim Ramos said he is experiencing “great distress” as the stolen equipment is “very important for the treatment of patients.”
“They stole most of the equipment,” he lamented, adding that the gastroenterology service “plays a very important role in the organization of the hospital.
“This is absolutely necessary equipment. We are exploring ways to solve the problem. Purchasing new material takes time, so we are thinking of a plan to solve this problem,” he stressed.
In September 2022, ULSAM invested approximately one million euros of equity capital in the installation of a new Advanced Digestive Endoscopy Unit (UEDA) at Viana do Castelo Hospital.
At the time, Franklim Ramos told Lusa that the investment in the new department installed in the gastroenterology department of the Santa Luzia Hospital was “gradually implemented” and is now in full operation.
More than 1.4 million euros have been invested in UEDA and new magnetic resonance equipment.
According to the information provided by ULSAM, the new service “allows to carry out in a single space a complex of endoscopic examinations and minimally invasive techniques that allow to identify the entire range of benign and malignant diseases of the digestive system and treat complex pathologies.” , to the area of Viana do Castelo and for patients from other parts of the country.”
UEDA “has three endoscopy rooms (…) with state-of-the-art fluoroscopic archwire, echographs, line echo endoscopes, helical enteroscope, anesthesia machine and other equipment.”
In addition to general endoscopy procedures, the new unit allows for “all existing advanced interventional endoscopy procedures”.
The Magnetic Resonance (RM) equipment installed at the Santa Luzia Hospital allows all the tests prescribed under ULSAM to be carried out “without recourse to outside help, and will improve the quality of the examination thanks to the technology currently being used. resulting image, allowing clinicians to more rigorously and accurately evaluate the image.”
The Magnetic Resonance (RM) equipment installed at the Santa Luzia Hospital allows all the tests prescribed under ULSAM to be carried out “without recourse to outside help, and will improve the quality of the examination thanks to the technology currently being used. resulting image, allowing clinicians to more rigorously and accurately evaluate the image.”
Non-repayable funding from the European Social Fund was 55% (660,000 euros) and national financial support of 45% (540,000 euros). The cost of VAT was paid by ULSAM in the amount of EUR 276,000.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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