Teach the elderly population of Loulé to use online tools made available by the National Health Service (SNS), but also sensitize other citizens to the use of these services. This is the objective of the Computer Literacy and Digital Inclusion Project, which took its first steps today in Loulé.
The Academic Center for Research and Training of the Algarve (ABC – Algarve Biomedical Center), the Câmara de Loulé and the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health are partners in this pioneering project in Portugal, whose objective is, from the outset, to teach and help the population infoexcluded, namely the elderly, to use the online health services.
At the same time, campaigns will be carried out to publicize the services that already exist and how they work to the general population.
Because there are already online services, provided by the NHS, which allow the user to "book appointments, request prescriptions and access a wide range of information using just a smartphone", said Vítor Aleixo, president of the Loulé Council, an entity that will have a role central to the work to be done.
“This is an innovative project in the area of providing healthcare services. The initiative comes within the scope of the work program that the municipality established with the Algarve Biomedical Center and which begins here to bear its first fruits», framed the mayor from Louletano.
“Basically, we are talking about a health literacy and digital inclusion project. There are many applications in the health area already available, but that people do not know how to use or do not even know about their existence», reinforced Nuno Marques, president of the Algarve Biomedical Center.
This is because, underlined Ana Paula Almeida, director of human resources at the Ministry of Health's Shared Services, «it is not enough to create websites and applications, it is necessary to tell people that they exist and raise awareness for their use».
The president of the Algarve Regional Health Administration (ARS) went further and said that this project will help citizens to be «increasingly the owners of their health». The «citizen empowerment» will be, in Paulo Morgado's view, what will mark the NHS of the future, based on digitization and which will have in the population «partners» and not just users.
And, in some cases, the future has already arrived, hence the importance of this type of project. “Our drug prescription system is unique in the world. When we present it outside, people are amazed, as they have been trying for years and have not achieved anything functional», he assured.
Today, in addition to the signing of the protocol that formalized the start of the project, a training and qualification action for those who will take computer literacy to the population took place at Palácio Gama Lobo, in Loulé.
"Today, several people were here who are part of the organic structure of the City Council and its municipal companies, as well as the Parish Council of Alte, receiving specific training from the Ministry of Health, so that they can pass this information on to other citizens," he explained. Victor Aleixo.
«What was done here today was the formation of contact points, which will be available to the population, in villages, in IPSS, in homes and in Parish Councils, which will support the population that has more difficulties in using these electronic and digital means, so that they can have the same benefits as they are more comfortable using technology», added Nuno Marques.
«We are talking, from a classical point of view, of those older people who do not use electronic means. The contact points are people they already know and who help them to use the online services», explained the president of ABC.
In addition, "there will be awareness campaigns aimed at those who find it easier to use the technology and who will be able to download the applications".
In this first phase, this will be a pilot project, to be implemented only in the municipality of Loulé, but the idea is to expand it. «Within two months, we plan to extend the project to the rest of the Algarve and, at the end of next year, gradually start the extension to the rest of the country. We hope to be all over the country in 2021», said Nuno Marques.
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues|Sul Informação
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