Regional Government bolsters HSEIT diagnostic capacity with state-of-the-art mammography system - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social

The Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, highlighted the acquisition of a new state-of-the-art mammography system at the Santo Espírito Hospital of Terceira Island (HSEIT). Replacing equipment in operation since 2010, the system represents an investment of over €330,000, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) under the Regional Health Service’s Modernisation and Upgrading project.

​The purchase marks a significant boost to cancer diagnostic capabilities across the Autonomous Region of the Azores, providing patients with high-tier clinical technology that enables earlier, more precise and faster diagnoses.

Among its key innovations is the introduction of contrast-enhanced mammography, an advanced technique that improves the detection and characterisation of breast lesions. The new mammography scanner also incorporates features such as stereotaxy, tomosynthesis and computer-reconstructed imaging. The combination of these features delivers high-resolution images with greater clinical detail, while significantly speeding up examination and processing times.

The device will serve patients treated directly at HSEIT, as well as those referred by the Azores Oncology Centre through regional screening programmes, further strengthening the Regional Health Service’s response capacity and ensuring faster and more specialised healthcare access. 

According to the Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, “this investment reflects the Regional Government’s commitment to modernising the Regional Health Service and ​continuously improving patient care. Equipping our healthcare facilities with state-of-the-art technology means investing in prevention, early diagnosis, and clinical excellence, putting RRP resources at the service of the health of Azorean citizens."

As part of the RRP, around €11 million was invested in HSEIT. In addition to the new mammography system, this investment included the purchase of new equipment, such as an orthopaedic surgical robot, a 3D laparoscopy tower, new ultrasound scanners, genetic sequencing equipment and an extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy system, thereby strengthening the response capacity of the Hospital and the Regional Health Service.

Alongside investment in equipment, the Regional Government continues to bolster the human resources of the Regional Health Service, with the HSEIT currently preparing to launch a recruitment process for a specialist in diagnostic imaging, which is due to be published by the end of this month.