The state of Acre in northwestern Brazil will be the first country to have telemedicine service coverage at 100%, according to the State Health Secretariat (Sesacre).
The Government of the state of Acre, through Sesacre, signed a technical cooperation agreement for medical assistance with a focus on specialized telemedicine. It is a partnership between Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Hospital Albert Einstein (SBIBHAE); which has one of the most important hospitals in Brazil; and the Support Program for the Institutional Development of the Unified Health System (Proadi-SUS, in Portuguese).
The Director of Telemedicine at the Albert Einstein Hospital, Tarso Corse, explained that the purpose of the project is to provide specialized medical care in the northern region of Brazil. Currently, six municipalities in the state, which has a population of nearly 800,000 people, have telemedicine services, a number that will rise to 16 specialized telemedicine points thanks to this association.
These establishments offer specialized services in cardiology, endocrinology, pneumology, rheumatology, neurology, pediatric neurology and psychiatry. From January to October 2021, 1,156 remote consultations were carried out.
“This project has very clear objectives. The first is to improve patient care. Thanks to teleconsultation, we can achieve a more precise diagnosis and a more effective treatment. And, of course, this will bring about a series of positive repercussions, such as, for example, the reduction of waiting time for the service and the increase in patient satisfaction”, explained Corse.
The telemedicine director also explained that there are 102 municipalities covered by the SBIBHAE program throughout the country, but that Acre is the only state that has telemedicine points in all its municipalities.
Muama Araújo Executive Secretary of Administration and Finance of Sesacre, expressed the following about the progress in telemedicine in the state: “We cannot fail to express our satisfaction with this association. Once again, Acre makes history by being the first Brazilian state to implement telemedicine care in all its municipalities. This will facilitate access for people who live in places that are difficult to access and who, at certain times of the year, have no way of getting around to seek specialized health care,” he concluded.
