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Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social
Regional Government increases accommodation capacity of Displaced Patient Support Service in Lisbon
Regional Government increases accommodation capacity of Displaced Patient Support Service in Lisbon
Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social
Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security highlights effective actions to fight poverty in the Azores
Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security highlights effective actions to fight poverty in the Azores
Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social
Mónica Seidi opens Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit at HSEIT
Mónica Seidi opens Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit at HSEIT
January 16, 2026
Regional Government increases accommodation capacity of Displaced Patient Support Service in Lisbon
January 14, 2026
Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security highlights effective actions to fight poverty in the Azores
January 12, 2026
Mónica Seidi opens Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit at HSEIT
News
Azores Oncology Centre
Regional Directorate for Health
Regional Directorate for Social Solidarity
Regional Directorate for Prevention and Control of Dependencies
Regional Health Inspectorate
Institute for Social Security of the Azores
Regional Directorate for the Promotion of Equality and Social Inclusion
Nota de Imprensa
January 16, 2026
Regional Government increases accommodation capacity of Displaced Patient Support Service in Lisbon
The Regional Government has increased the accommodation capacity of the Displaced Patient Support Service (SADD) in Lisbon by signing a new protocol that includes an additional two-bedroom apartment and a one-bedroom apartment adapted for users with reduced mobility. This expansion addresses a need identified by the SADD team, led by Catarina Silva, providing a more adequate response to the growing number of users from the Autonomous Region of the Azores who travel to Mainland Portugal for medical exams, consultations or treatments. For the Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, this measure reflects the Regional Government's ongoing attention to the difficulties experienced by patients when they are forced to leave the Region for healthcare. “The Regional Government is aware of the difficulties that Azorean patients face when travelling outside the Region for exams or treatment and intends to mitigate these impacts by ensuring a responsive, dignified and humane response. Fortunately, this is what the Displaced Patient Support Service has been providing to our users,” emphasises the person responsible for the service. Regarding the length of stays, 46% were short stays of less than five days. Regarding the origin of patients, 54% had been referred from the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in Ponta Delgada, 34% from the Santo Espírito Hospital of Terceira Island, and 12% from the Horta Hospital. During 2025, the SADD team carried out a total of 11,914 interventions, which included psychosocial support, telephone contacts, guidance on travel procedures, processing of daily allowances and providing information on patients' rights and duties. A further 3,762 social diagnoses and 6,751 procedures were carried out, ensuring active and effective monitoring, particularly in more complex cases. Therefore, SADD is an essential structure with a high level of social responsibility. “Behind each of these figures are the Regional Health Service patients and their families, as well as stories marked by support, dedication and humanism. It is this commitment that the Regional Government of the Azores continues to focus on, improving responses and ensuring better conditions for those who need it most,” concluded Mónica Seidi.
January 16, 2026
Regional Government increases accommodation capacity of Displaced Patient Support Service in Lisbon
The Regional Government has increased the accommodation capacity of the Displaced Patient Support Service (SADD) in Lisbon by signing a new protocol that includes an additional two-bedroom apartment and a one-bedroom apartment adapted for users with reduced mobility. This expansion addresses a need identified by the SADD team, led by Catarina Silva, providing a more adequate response to the growing number of users from the Autonomous Region of the Azores who travel to Mainland Portugal for medical exams, consultations or treatments. For the Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, this measure reflects the Regional Government's ongoing attention to the difficulties experienced by patients when they are forced to leave the Region for healthcare. “The Regional Government is aware of the difficulties that Azorean patients face when travelling outside the Region for exams or treatment and intends to mitigate these impacts by ensuring a responsive, dignified and humane response. Fortunately, this is what the Displaced Patient Support Service has been providing to our users,” emphasises the person responsible for the service. Regarding the length of stays, 46% were short stays of less than five days. Regarding the origin of patients, 54% had been referred from the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in Ponta Delgada, 34% from the Santo Espírito Hospital of Terceira Island, and 12% from the Horta Hospital. During 2025, the SADD team carried out a total of 11,914 interventions, which included psychosocial support, telephone contacts, guidance on travel procedures, processing of daily allowances and providing information on patients' rights and duties. A further 3,762 social diagnoses and 6,751 procedures were carried out, ensuring active and effective monitoring, particularly in more complex cases. Therefore, SADD is an essential structure with a high level of social responsibility. “Behind each of these figures are the Regional Health Service patients and their families, as well as stories marked by support, dedication and humanism. It is this commitment that the Regional Government of the Azores continues to focus on, improving responses and ensuring better conditions for those who need it most,” concluded Mónica Seidi.
Nota de Imprensa
January 14, 2026
Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security highlights effective actions to fight poverty in the Azores
The Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, stressed today at the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores that the latest data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) confirm positive developments in the Autonomous Region of the Azores in the fight against poverty, contradicting narratives undermining the results achieved. "It is now a fact that the Autonomous Region of the Azores is no longer the poorest region in the country since the surveys on the poverty risk rate have been conducted," the government official emphasised, noting that the Regional Government is available to promptly respond to the persisting challenges. The Regional Secretary pointed out that this improvement is a direct result of the social policies implemented by the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition governments, which have consistently stepped up support for families and citizens in the most vulnerable situations. "Social transfers have always existed, but they were previously insufficient. Today, they play a key role in creating a real safety net and have been instrumental in helping to raise the Azoreans out of poverty," she said. Among the most vulnerable groups, Mónica Seidi clearly identified children and the elderly as priority age groups in the definition of public policies, listing some measures such as the annual increase above inflation in the Family Allowance Supplement and the increases in the Regional Pension Supplement. The government official also stressed that the Regional Strategy to Fight Poverty has not been neglected, remaining in force and coordinated with European funding instruments, namely the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). Under this strategy, for example, specific study support units have been implemented for children in situations of greater vulnerability in the elementary and middle school levels, a measure that has already benefited 900 children, with clearly positive results. At a strategy level, Mónica Seidi also highlighted the Regional Plan for Social Inclusion and Citizenship (PRISC), which includes 22 specific measures, with some already being implemented. These include the SER+ programme and the digitisation of the health sector as a way of improving accessibility to regional health services. Regarding food support, the Regional Secretary clarified that it is defined in accordance with European guidelines. It is allocated via a card with an available credit limit, through the participation of commercial establishments, ensuring transparency and dignity while avoiding overlapping support, which must be supervised by the Institute for Social Security of the Azores (ISSA). The Regional Secretary also noted that the measures already implemented have been implemented and achieved success at a "quite acceptable" level, recalling that reducing poverty by 40% is one of the key goals of PRIS "Based on the data available, we can say that the goals set for 2025 and 2026 have already been achieved. Nonetheless, we will not be blinded by this progress and will continue to support the most vulnerable and those in need to ensure a sustained downward trend in the poverty risk rate," concluded Mónica Seidi.
January 14, 2026
Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security highlights effective actions to fight poverty in the Azores
The Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, stressed today at the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores that the latest data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) confirm positive developments in the Autonomous Region of the Azores in the fight against poverty, contradicting narratives undermining the results achieved. "It is now a fact that the Autonomous Region of the Azores is no longer the poorest region in the country since the surveys on the poverty risk rate have been conducted," the government official emphasised, noting that the Regional Government is available to promptly respond to the persisting challenges. The Regional Secretary pointed out that this improvement is a direct result of the social policies implemented by the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition governments, which have consistently stepped up support for families and citizens in the most vulnerable situations. "Social transfers have always existed, but they were previously insufficient. Today, they play a key role in creating a real safety net and have been instrumental in helping to raise the Azoreans out of poverty," she said. Among the most vulnerable groups, Mónica Seidi clearly identified children and the elderly as priority age groups in the definition of public policies, listing some measures such as the annual increase above inflation in the Family Allowance Supplement and the increases in the Regional Pension Supplement. The government official also stressed that the Regional Strategy to Fight Poverty has not been neglected, remaining in force and coordinated with European funding instruments, namely the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). Under this strategy, for example, specific study support units have been implemented for children in situations of greater vulnerability in the elementary and middle school levels, a measure that has already benefited 900 children, with clearly positive results. At a strategy level, Mónica Seidi also highlighted the Regional Plan for Social Inclusion and Citizenship (PRISC), which includes 22 specific measures, with some already being implemented. These include the SER+ programme and the digitisation of the health sector as a way of improving accessibility to regional health services. Regarding food support, the Regional Secretary clarified that it is defined in accordance with European guidelines. It is allocated via a card with an available credit limit, through the participation of commercial establishments, ensuring transparency and dignity while avoiding overlapping support, which must be supervised by the Institute for Social Security of the Azores (ISSA). The Regional Secretary also noted that the measures already implemented have been implemented and achieved success at a "quite acceptable" level, recalling that reducing poverty by 40% is one of the key goals of PRIS "Based on the data available, we can say that the goals set for 2025 and 2026 have already been achieved. Nonetheless, we will not be blinded by this progress and will continue to support the most vulnerable and those in need to ensure a sustained downward trend in the poverty risk rate," concluded Mónica Seidi.