Medical evacuations to Portugal cost Cape Verde €4.5 million in 2021 — DNOTICIAS.PT
The cost of medical evacuations to Portugal supported by Cape Verdean social security fell to 4.5 million euros in 2021, according to official data compiled by Lusa today.
According to a report on insurance provided in the 12 months of 2021 by the Instituto Nacional de Previdência Social (INPS), which manages workers’ pensions and social contributions -, the overall cost of transport and sick stay in medical evacuations between the islands from Cape Verde and to Portugal amounted to almost 789 million escudos (7.1 million euros).
From January to December 2020, Cape Verdean social security with this transport and stay of patients 72.2 million euros (seven million euros), which reflects an increase in increase in 2021.
Only with the stay of patients undergoing treatment in Portugal, the INPS spent from January 4.5 million escudos (4.5 million euros), when in 2020 this expense was more than 511 million escudos (4) .6 million of euros).
According to the latest INPS data available, Cape Verde envied treatment in Portugal, in 2020, in various specialties, 229 patients, around 28% less than in 2019, closing that Portuguese year with 549 being treated in hospitals.
According to a previous report, the “most reported” specialties for medical evacuations to Portugal, under bilateral cooperation agreements, were oncology (60) and cardiology (53).
The Minister of Health of Cape Verde, mainly, that, hospitals, during the covid-19 pandemic, Portugal “never closed the doors” to the patients of the Cape Verdean evacuation program.
Even though it never closed the doors in a difficult time, Portugal as evacuation doors we remain difficult, even with the same “evacuation program”.
Arlindo do Rosário insisted that it is “to praise the cooperation program between Portugal and Cape Verde, particularly in the health sector”, specifically in areas such as medical evacuations or for the “concrete technical and training assistance” to Cape Verdean specialists, allowed that the country “wins possible”.
Globally, medical evacuations were carried out by Cape Verde 2020, including in companions, “with a direct impact on the cost of transport and accommodation”, although overall terms have been recorded a decrease of 27.8%.
“The companions are integrated and health technicians and represent 28% of the total, corresponding to 1,142 beneficiaries”, explained by INPS.
Of the medical evacuations carried out, 3,714 were inter-island movements (65.9%), while 301 (including 72 companions) went abroad.
In net terms (2 accompanying companions), the number inter-island was 2,644 and for Portugal 2,649 (319 in 2019 and 410 in 2018), a decrease compared to the same period in 2019 in the order of 28%.