Give doctors skills in an area that does not exist in medical courses. This is the main objective of a postgraduate course in “Health Management” that the Faculty of Economics of the University of Algarve (UAlg) will have from November this year, in partnership with the Católica Porto Business School.
The protocol between the two entities was signed this Monday, July 10, in a session accompanied by the Sul Informação.
The challenge came from Católica, which has already done 12 editions of this postgraduate course. After an experience outside Porto – in this case, in Funchal (Madeira) – the Porto academy decided that it would be beneficial to continue investing in expanding the course, which will have both face-to-face and online sessions.
«This edition in Funchal was a success and, in planning the next editions of the postgraduate course, we thought: why not in the Algarve? In fact, there are many shortages in management skills and we remembered a former student who attended training in previous years», he began by explaining to the Sul Informação Carlos Vieira, executive director of Católica Porto Business School.
This former student is none other than… Ana Varges Gomes, the current chairman of the Board of Directors of Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA).
According to Carlos Vieira, doctors in the Algarve feel the need to train “in these areas”, which also led to this course heading south.
There is currently a master's degree in Health Unit Management at the Faculty of Economics of the UAlg, but this postgraduate course has the particularity of being only intended for doctors and having accreditation by the Order.
Among the subjects of the Study Plan are, for example, “Health Economics”, “Health Law”, “Team Leadership” or “Management of Operations and Quality in Health”.
Ao Sul Informação, Efigénio Rebelo, director of the Faculty of Economics, said that this will indeed be the only postgraduate course that this organic unit will have.
«We have a wide range of masters, but we felt that there was room for a postgraduate course specifically for the medical class», he considered.
“We thought this was a good opportunity to carry out this specific training. For example, physicians need this training to access the position of clinical director. Basically, it was important not to let this chance slip away», added Efigénio Rebelo.
Margarida França is the scientific director of this postgraduate course.
Speaking to our newspaper, the professor, who is also chairman of the Board of Directors of Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga, explained that the course's main objective is to provide «management and governance skills in health services».
«Medical courses do not give these skills: I talk to doctors who have already attended this postgraduate course and they tell me that a new world has opened up», he said, laughing.
This is because, he argued, there are “levels of demand when a doctor is at the head of a service”.
«It is advisable that they have a more general approach: that they not only see the tree, but also the forest to respond to the challenges that will be placed upon them», he exemplified.
The expectation is that the course, which also has partnerships with CHUA and Grupo Hospital Particular do Algarve (HPA), will have around 30 participants – and “that it will be sustainable”.
Registration has already opened and, for more information, you can contact 226 196 260 or [email protected]. The postgraduate registration costs 5200 euros, plus VAT, but with some special conditions.
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