SESARAM creates organism for biological risks

The Health Service of the Autonomous Region of Madeira now has a new committee, this time for Emergency, Catastrophe and Biological Risk. The organism was presented yesterday at Hospital dr. Nélio Mendonça, by the regional secretary of Health and Civil Protection.

Chaired by doctor Carmo Caldeira, the new commission will have a team of more than twenty professionals, who will provide integrated responses in risky and unpredictable situations. Pedro Ramos explained that this body involves several SESARAM services, not only in the clinical area, but also in the non-clinical area, as it provides support to health professionals, also in exceptional situations. In fact, among the professionals who make up the new commission, there are psychologists, social workers, doctors, nurses, president of the clinical management board, clinical and nursing management”, in particular. “This is a response that must be hierarchical, with those responsible to establish an adequate response plan”, taking into account that the Funchal Central Hospital is “the final response of the Regional Health Service” and must be prepared for any situation ”.

The commission in question also involves the internal emergency at Hospital dos Marmeleiros and hospital dr. João de Almada, as well as IT, installation and equipment services.

“Unfortunately, we already have learning from a sufficient number of situations, such as flooding, accidents, fires, the crash of a bus”. Pedro Ramos commented that emergency plans have been frequently activated, now also covering emergencies in biological risk situations. The decision on this new measure has to do with the fact that there are situations that “are beginning to affect the day-to-day life of society, such as biological, nuclear, chemical and radiological risks”.

Thus, explained Pedro Ramos, “all these situations are included in this third aspect of emergency, trauma and now biological risk”. In fact, a clear example of response was to the covid-19 pandemic, as the government official highlighted.

It should be noted that the Emergency, Catastrophe and Biological Risk Committee is chaired by a doctor who has stood out at various times in the Region, having been chosen this year by the President of the Republic to chair the Committee for the Celebrations of the 10th of June, Portugal Day, that took place in Madeira.

By Paula Abreu