The Board of Directors of the Regional Health Administration (ARS) of the Algarve has just clarified, in a statement, that "there will be no dismantling" of the Regional Public Health Laboratory Dr. Laura Ayres, located in Parque das Cidades in Loulé/Faro.
Thus, the ARS denies the information released this Friday by PS/Algarve, which announced the alleged “intention of the Ministry of Health to proceed with the restructuring of the Public Health Laboratories Network, equating to the Algarve Region the dismantling of the Laboratory Dr.ª Laura Ayres Regional Public Health, the public health area being under the responsibility of the National Institute of Health and the area of blood at the Hospital Center of the Algarve».
The PS Algarve expresses its "concern and disagreement" with the alleged intention of the Government, considering that "it contradicts best practices in the area of public health, supported by the document prepared by the Regional Delegates of Public Health in 2011 and minimizes the strategic importance of the Laboratory Regional do Algarve in responding to threats and risks to Public Health on a global scale».
According to the Algarvian socialists, this importance was demonstrated by the role of the Laura Ayres Regional Public Health Laboratory «when the H1N1 flu epidemic occurred in the summer of 2009, in which that laboratory performed more molecular biology analyzes than all other national laboratories. together (another 2009 analyzes with about 10.000 positive)».
This performance, stresses the PS, «was recognized by the Ministry of Health, which distinguished the Public Health Department of ARS Algarve with the Health Merit Medal, Gold Grade, in 2011».
With regard to the area of blood, the socialists add, «the Regional Public Health Laboratory has worked since its inception with the Portuguese Institute of Blood, carrying out the processing, storage, distribution and availability of blood components, laboratory tests of routine and urgent immunohematology, laboratory tests for serological and genomic screening for infectious agents, together with the Blood and Transplantation Centers of Lisbon, Coimbra and Porto do IPS».
The PS/Algarve classifies the eventual dismantling of that laboratory as an “irresponsible decision by the Ministry of Health” and demands the “annulment” of this Government's intention, “in compliance with the best practices in the area of Public Health and the Manual of the Portuguese Institute of Blood and Transplantation».
The socialists place this measure alongside "other decisions of the PSD/CDS Government", such as the "disappearance of the INEM Regional Delegation", which "disregard the Algarve, ignore the strategic role of the region in the tourism economy and give note of a profound ignorance of the interests of citizens».
In a short four-line statement, the ARS counters: “Following the PS Algarve communiqué, released this Friday, regarding an alleged 'dismantling' of the Dr. Laura Ayres Regional Public Health Laboratory, located in Parque das Cidades in Loulé/ Faro, understands the Board of Directors of the Regional Health Administration of Algarve IP to clarify that there will be no dismantling of that laboratory».
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