A biplane angiograph, a «very necessary» equipment that will cost a million euros, and a sculpture that celebrates the history of medicine, but also the Algarve's health professionals, were the gifts that the University Hospital Center of the Algarve received on the day of its fourth anniversary, which was celebrated on Monday, the 23rd.
The “party” was attended by António Lacerda Sales, Deputy Secretary of State and Health, who, as he himself illustrated, made a point of bringing a “gift”.
According to the member of the Government, CHUA will proceed with the reprogramming of the candidacy for European funds of the CRESC Algarve 2020 Operational Program, in order to acquire «state-of-the-art technological equipment – biplane angiograph – much needed by this hospital».
The equipment "will cost around 1 million euros" and its acquisition is already under public tender, with the angiograph expected to arrive by the end of 2021.
This is, according to CHUA, "an avant-garde response, indispensable, namely for stroke, interventional radiology, neurosurgery, vascular surgery and gastroenterology", which will "avoid numerous transfers of patients to Lisbon".
The other gift was an internal gift, which was produced in the “house”: a sculpture made by physician Francisco José, a pediatrician at CHUA, which tells about 3 years of medical history.
As revealed during the ceremony on Monday, Horácio Guerreiro, CHUA's clinical director, the Board of Directors wanted to honor and "honor the collective effort that is made every day" by the professionals of the house.
For this, a piece was commissioned to the physician Francisco José, «who presented a work that has to do with the history of medicine and the evolution of medicine over time, because he understood that this tribute and this effort is not just for the time. Covid, but also out of her time».
«He presents us there with a work that is worth seeing and that, above all, is a symbol for us, of the commitment of professionals and of our desire to do more and better and overcome the difficulties we are facing», summarized Horácio Guerreiro.
Once the challenge was launched, the piece began to emerge «in the free bits» that Francisco José has.
"I made a play that people could read, walking around, how we got here and what happened until we got to this real medicine, called scientific medicine, which we practice today", he told the Sul Informação Francisco Jose.
Thus, the work is divided into two parts. A cylindrical column, where people can read about important passages in the history of medicine, and, above this element, a platform where there are small sculptures representing key moments.
«I thought that without the woman giving birth, there were no people and the front of the play translates that. There is a woman squatting, which is the position of normal birth», explained the doctor and sculptor.
Also in a prominent place, there is a representation of a sorcerer, which recalls the «priests who even created their own temples and people went there, to blessings, prayers, sacrifices, etc».
In the middle, there are several personalities and figures, from the outset Hippocrates, but also «the doctor of the Black Death, the Robert Koch who discovered the bacillus of Koch and a real doctor listening to a patient».
Finally, two CHUA health professionals are represented in the play, "with a patient who has just left intensive care, where he had a coronavirus, hugging a doctor and a nurse."
It was «all the work and commitment» of the health professionals of the Algarve's hospitals, especially during the pandemic, which they sought to pay homage to on Monday.
«The University Hospital Center of the Algarve is one of the reference units of the National Health Service, which stands out for its technical and human capacities, for its adaptability and reorganization capacity, for the quality of services and which also stands out for the due attention that gives to the 16 councils it serves. This institution has given and continues to give a remarkable response to the Covid-19 pandemic that was not confined to local needs”, illustrated Lacerda Sales.
«Today we honor all those who have made this path of sacrifice and resilience and all those who have known how to wait and believe that the lives of others are our main mission. This tribute symbolizes the strength and union of an institution that has already demonstrated that together we will always be stronger», reinforced Ana Varges Gomes, president of the Board of Directors of CHUA, who could not be at the ceremony, but left a video message.
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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