Mónica Seidi participated in joint meeting of Regional Medical Internship Committees of Azores and Madeira - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social

As part of the efforts to strengthen cooperation between regions in the area of health, the Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security of the Azores, Mónica Seidi, visited the Autonomous Region of Madeira on Friday.

During the visit, the Regional Secretary participated in a joint meeting of the Regional Medical Internship Committees of Madeira and the Azores, which was also attended by the Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection of Madeira, Micaela Freitas. The meeting was an opportunity to exchange experiences, align strategies and share best practices in medical training.

The Regional Medical Internship Committees play a key role in supervising, guiding and monitoring medical interns, ensuring that early-career professionals receive quality training, ongoing support and effective integration into health services. These bodies are also essential for linking clinical practice to academic and professional goals, thus contributing to the excellence of health systems in the autonomous regions.

During the meeting, the need to improve training capacity for medical specialists in the autonomous regions was also discussed, with both regions agreeing to present a joint position to the National Government and the National Medical Council, advocating for increased specialist medical training in more areas.

According to Mónica Seidi, the Azores and Madeira face similar challenges in replacing medical staff in certain specialities, which justifies a joint approach to the national authorities.

"We believe that, as these problems are common to both autonomous regions, it makes more sense to present a joint position to the Ministry of Health, rather than isolated demands. In working together, we can strengthen training capacity in the regions and better respond to the specific needs of each territory," emphasised Mónica Seidi.

The government official concluded that “this type of meeting helps to improve cooperation between Autonomous Regions, promote the sharing of best practices and enhance medical training, reinforcing the Azores’ commitment to quality, innovation and sustainability in the Regional Health Service.”