Breast cancer surgeries. Order of Doctors criticizes closure of seven local units

The Medical Association does not “call into question” the criteria used to decide to close these health units, nor the “need to concentrate resources”. However, the president considers that “it is still curious” that this intervention is carried out in a medical area “that has no problems”.

“Portugal in the area of ​​breast cancer and breast cancer surgery is one of the countries with the best results at European level”, argued Carlos Cortes. “Therefore, It is curious to be changing an area of ​​health intervention (…) in which the Portuguese results are good results”.

But there is another aspect that concerns the Medical Association: “the issue of access”, in addition to the technical-scientific criteria that it considers “understandable”.

“There are other very important aspects here, which is the ability of women patients in this oncology area to have access to healthcare”began to enumerate. “Secondly, this goes against everything that has been developed to establish doctors in needier areas. Namely, areas of the Interior (…), which have a lack of doctors, have a lack of surgeons in particular”.

According to Carlos Cortes, these changes also “obviously call into question medical training”.

“Therefore, There are a number of aspects here that, from our point of view, were not taken into account”he continued, adding that This solution “ends up not taking into account women’s access to healthcare”.

One of the problems highlighted by the president is the existence of waiting lists and the distances that patients may have to travel.

“What you want is an adequate response, a framed response for these women.”

Using the example of Covilhã, Guarda and Castelo Branco, Carlos Cortes highlighted that there are “three hospitals concentrated in the interior center of the country, they have to refer sick women in this area to Coimbra”. A solution that for the Medical Association “doesn’t make much sense”.

“Another solution could have been found. For example, by bringing these three hospitals together or by joining these three hospitals to another hospital, such as Viseu Hospital, which is in the same geographical area.”

“The solutions that were adopted, from our point of view, do not favor access to healthcare, they do not favor women’s access to treatments”he concluded.