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Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social
Courses such as MRMI enable professionals to respond more effectively, stresses Mónica Seidi
Courses such as MRMI enable professionals to respond more effectively, stresses Mónica Seidi
Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social
Press release
Press release
Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social
Directorate-General of Health and Regional Directorate for Health of the Azores sign collaboration agreement on health programmes
Directorate-General of Health and Regional Directorate for Health of the Azores sign collaboration agreement on health programmes
October 26, 2025
Courses such as MRMI enable professionals to respond more effectively, stresses Mónica Seidi
August 20, 2025
Press release
May 23, 2025
Directorate-General of Health and Regional Directorate for Health of the Azores sign collaboration agreement on health programmes
News
Nota de Imprensa
October 26, 2025
Courses such as MRMI enable professionals to respond more effectively, stresses Mónica Seidi
The Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, praised the Medical Response to Major Incidents (MRMI) course. She stressed that initiatives such as this "are an opportunity to conduct simulations that closely resemble real-life situations and train professionals, whether in health care or other fields, to respond more effectively." The MRMI is not only aimed at healthcare professionals. It is intended for professionals from different areas of intervention, namely firefighters, emergency technicians, doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, civil protection agents, military and security forces, the Criminal Investigation Police, press officers, journalists, as well as all professionals with management, command and monitoring responsibilities in Integrated Medical Emergency Systems," stressed the government official. The course is an international postgraduate programme whose main goal is to promote an integrated response to disasters by all Civil Protection units. “We must continue to train all entities directly involved in situations such as this, all professionals within the Regional Directorate for Health, Civil Protection and Fire Services, so that we can continue to respond more effectively to situations that could lead to fatalities,” continued Mónica Seidi. This year's edition of MRMI involved 130 participants. It was organised in partnership with the Regional Government, the Praia da Vitória Vocational School, the Praia da Vitória Municipal Council and the Praia da Vitória Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters.
October 26, 2025
Courses such as MRMI enable professionals to respond more effectively, stresses Mónica Seidi
The Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, praised the Medical Response to Major Incidents (MRMI) course. She stressed that initiatives such as this "are an opportunity to conduct simulations that closely resemble real-life situations and train professionals, whether in health care or other fields, to respond more effectively." The MRMI is not only aimed at healthcare professionals. It is intended for professionals from different areas of intervention, namely firefighters, emergency technicians, doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, civil protection agents, military and security forces, the Criminal Investigation Police, press officers, journalists, as well as all professionals with management, command and monitoring responsibilities in Integrated Medical Emergency Systems," stressed the government official. The course is an international postgraduate programme whose main goal is to promote an integrated response to disasters by all Civil Protection units. “We must continue to train all entities directly involved in situations such as this, all professionals within the Regional Directorate for Health, Civil Protection and Fire Services, so that we can continue to respond more effectively to situations that could lead to fatalities,” continued Mónica Seidi. This year's edition of MRMI involved 130 participants. It was organised in partnership with the Regional Government, the Praia da Vitória Vocational School, the Praia da Vitória Municipal Council and the Praia da Vitória Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters.
Nota de Imprensa
August 20, 2025
Press release
In view of the doubts that have arisen regarding co-payment for diabetics, as well as the misinformation unfortunately spread by some political forces in the Region, the Government of the Azores clarifies the following: 1. Decree no. 170/2025/1 of April 10, issued by the Secretary of State for Health, created an exceptional co-payment scheme covering health technologies for blood glucose self-monitoring and diabetes mellitus control, which includes medicines included in the therapeutic category of GLP-1 analogues and the medical device sensor for determining interstitial glucose. 2. The Order was published on April 10, 2025, and came into force on August 8, 2025, replacing Order no. 187/2022 of July 22. 3. The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security/Regional Directorate for Health, immediately assumed that, as with the reimbursement of other medicines or medical devices, the scheme in question would be fully applicable to the Region, since it regulates Decree-Law no. 97/2015 of June 1, which creates the National Health Technology Assessment System, amended by Decree-Law no. 115/2017 of September 7. 4. Furthermore, since at least 1989, it has been determined that the list of reimbursed medicines or medical devices approved for the National Health Service applies to the Regional Health Service. 5. The Government of the Azores not only firmly believes that the scheme in question applies automatically to the Region, but has also introduced an exceptional manual prescription mechanism to ensure co-payment and equal treatment for Regional Health Service users, considering that the process regarding the Electronic Prescription of Medicines is currently being implemented and developed. This process began with the signing of a cooperation protocol on April 3, 2024, to provide the Regional Health Service with access to the information systems operated by the National Health Service, thereby ensuring the sharing of information between the Autonomous Region of the Azores and Mainland Portugal, as well as shared access between health professionals and users. 6. Two external entities, namely SPMS, S.A. - Shared Services of the Ministry of Health and the National Association of Pharmacies, expressed a contrary opinion on the matter. The former did so unilaterally and without prior consultation with the Region, rendering reimbursement impossible for users covered by the Ordinance. This led the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security/Regional Directorate for Health, to issue Information Circular no. DRS-CINF/2025/11 on August 18, 2025. 7. After immediate contact with SPMS, S.A. and the National Association of Pharmacies, the applicability of the aforementioned ordinance to the Region was validated and confirmed, with a commitment to urgently solve access to co-payment. Furthermore, the National Association of Pharmacies proceeded accordingly regarding its member pharmacies in the Region.
August 20, 2025
Press release
In view of the doubts that have arisen regarding co-payment for diabetics, as well as the misinformation unfortunately spread by some political forces in the Region, the Government of the Azores clarifies the following: 1. Decree no. 170/2025/1 of April 10, issued by the Secretary of State for Health, created an exceptional co-payment scheme covering health technologies for blood glucose self-monitoring and diabetes mellitus control, which includes medicines included in the therapeutic category of GLP-1 analogues and the medical device sensor for determining interstitial glucose. 2. The Order was published on April 10, 2025, and came into force on August 8, 2025, replacing Order no. 187/2022 of July 22. 3. The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security/Regional Directorate for Health, immediately assumed that, as with the reimbursement of other medicines or medical devices, the scheme in question would be fully applicable to the Region, since it regulates Decree-Law no. 97/2015 of June 1, which creates the National Health Technology Assessment System, amended by Decree-Law no. 115/2017 of September 7. 4. Furthermore, since at least 1989, it has been determined that the list of reimbursed medicines or medical devices approved for the National Health Service applies to the Regional Health Service. 5. The Government of the Azores not only firmly believes that the scheme in question applies automatically to the Region, but has also introduced an exceptional manual prescription mechanism to ensure co-payment and equal treatment for Regional Health Service users, considering that the process regarding the Electronic Prescription of Medicines is currently being implemented and developed. This process began with the signing of a cooperation protocol on April 3, 2024, to provide the Regional Health Service with access to the information systems operated by the National Health Service, thereby ensuring the sharing of information between the Autonomous Region of the Azores and Mainland Portugal, as well as shared access between health professionals and users. 6. Two external entities, namely SPMS, S.A. - Shared Services of the Ministry of Health and the National Association of Pharmacies, expressed a contrary opinion on the matter. The former did so unilaterally and without prior consultation with the Region, rendering reimbursement impossible for users covered by the Ordinance. This led the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security/Regional Directorate for Health, to issue Information Circular no. DRS-CINF/2025/11 on August 18, 2025. 7. After immediate contact with SPMS, S.A. and the National Association of Pharmacies, the applicability of the aforementioned ordinance to the Region was validated and confirmed, with a commitment to urgently solve access to co-payment. Furthermore, the National Association of Pharmacies proceeded accordingly regarding its member pharmacies in the Region.