It is not an obligation, not even the «primary function of the local authorities», but the 16 mayors of the Algarve could not «let go of the opportunity» to finance the increase of vacancies in the Integrated Masters in Medicine at the University of Algarve and, with that, , to help «promote health» in the region, defended António Pina, president of AMAL.
Over the next four years, nearly 2 million euros will be invested in this course at the Algarve university, under a protocol signed on Thursday between UAlg, AMAL – Algarve Intermunicipal Community and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (MCTES).
From this sum, 600 thousand euros will be guaranteed by the 16 Municipal Councils in the region. The university provides 1 million euros and the ministry 300.
The opportunity that António Pina talks about was the challenge launched about a year ago by Minister Manuel Heitor, to increase the number of places in the Medicine course.
“And here we are today. This year, we have already gone from 48 to 64 and we want to reach 100 vacancies, which is to return to the initial goal. When this course was created, that was the idea», said, on Thursday, the member of Government, on the sidelines of the signing of the protocol.
«However, there was a long process of training the university, which responded in an unprecedented way. The recommendation was to do with more research, with more advanced training and with strategic partnerships, and UAlg did it, especially with the Champalimaud Foundation», summarized Manuel Heitor.
For the government official, «the university and the Medicine and Biomedical Sciences group had the capacity to understand others – the peers, the evaluators – and to modernize themselves».
"Today, they have a totally innovative offer in terms of medical training for scientists, scientific training for doctors and the strengthening of healthcare in the Algarve," he added.
“There was an opportunity and that opportunity was now. If we didn't grab it, we wouldn't have it anymore. And it is within this context that, although realizing that this is not the primary function of local authorities, we enter 600 thousand euros. We couldn't let this opportunity slip away”, said António Pina.
«With this four-year protocol, we will manage to create the conditions for the University, at the end of this period, to have twice as many Medicine students as it had last year, reaching more than a hundred students, when before it did not reach the half a hundred. The aim is to promote health in the Algarve», added the president of AMAL.
This is because, despite not all of them, «there is an interesting percentage of doctors trained at UAlg who are located in the Algarve. This is a way of ensuring that families in the Algarve have more and more doctors, as half of those who stay in the region go to primary care. The other half is dispersed by different specialties, so they will fill the gaps of the so-needed cadres of our CHUA».
"Basically, we are investing so that the people of the Algarve have better health care in the future," said the mayor.
This idea was reinforced by Manuel Heitor. «Nowadays, that is part of it. Strengthening education and research is a collective effort. And this is an example of the articulation of national funds, with regional and local funds», he said.
"The synergy between different types of funds is what can make the regions evolve", reinforced the minister.
According to Paulo Águas, dean of UAlg, "a substantial part of this money will go to equipment."
“This is a very demanding area in terms of equipment and we have to constantly renew it. There is also a budget for human resources, but most is for equipment», he summed up.
The inclusion of more human resources in this “account” is due to the fact that the increase in vacancies requires it. "If we are going to reach 96 vacancies, then those who enter this year, move on to the following year and remain here".
«Within a short time, we will have about 200 more students. And we needed this contract to leverage this process. We will then go into cruising speed, after which this will be financed exclusively by the State Budget. Until then, there is this contribution», concluded Paulo Águas.
Minister Manuel Heitor took advantage of his time at UAlg to praise the academic center Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), which “is not only known here in the region, it is a national and European reference”.
«The work of the University, ABC, Nuno Marques and Isabel Palmeirim, should be recognized, because they have made here and an institution in the Algarve a European reference for what is the functioning of a clinical academic center, articulating the activity of healthcare. health, with medical education and research and innovation activities», said the member of the Government.
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