Regional Government marks World Heart Day - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social

The Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security attended an event in Angra do Heroísmo organised by the local health unit to mark World Heart Day, which takes place today, September 29.

According to Mónica Seidi, the population should always be reminded about the importance of adopting healthy lifestyle habits to live longer and better.

"The event was primarily intended to encourage health literacy on an ongoing basis, because this is one of our pillars, one of our greatest incentives, and the reason for this is very simple: better-informed people make better decisions, particularly for their health, which is what we are talking about here."

As cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the Region, Mónica Seidi considers it "essential" for people to be aware of the choices they can and should make in their daily lives to mitigate risk factors by monitoring their blood pressure and taking care with their diet and lifestyle in general.

She took the opportunity to point out that Health Literacy is precisely one of the axes of the Regional Health Plan, a stage coordinated by cardiologist Paisana Lopes, who was also present at the event.

"The Plan, as we all know, is perfectly defined, and a few days ago we had the opportunity to present some of the work already done in this area and what we intend to implement shortly," she said.

"In the Regional Health Service, we can help Azoreans develop better habits, i.e. we can give the necessary guidance and encouragement. However, the truth is that the capacity for change lies within each person," stated the Regional Secretary.