Hospital de Santa Maria – Porto was one of the three finalists for the European Private Hospital Awards 2023, in the Green Hospitals and Social Responsibility category, with its “12 Months, 12 Screenings” project.
The “12 Months, 12 Screenings” project was an initiative integrated into the corporate social responsibility policy of Hospital de Santa Maria – Porto, through which this private health unit proposed to support the general population in the early diagnosis of a set of pathologies. This action consisted of offering screening consultations and diagnostic tests, involving a different speciality each month throughout 2022. In total, more than 300 consultations and as many tests were offered to the population throughout the year.
“It was a major operation that complemented our social support activity for the population of Porto and involved our clinical and nursing teams, health technicians, imaging and clinical analysis services, as well as our communication and marketing team. Being among the top three motivates us to continue our work in this area and to design other initiatives of this type, which contribute to raising awareness among the population about various pathologies and to encourage the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits”, says Lurdes Serra Campos, Director General of Hospital de Santa Maria – Porto.
All screenings were free of charge except for the one held in January, which had a solidarity aspect, similar to many other screenings previously carried out at Hospital Santa Maria – Porto, so it involved the payment of a symbolic amount of € 5.00 per patient that reverted in favour of the “Porta Solidária” Project. Porta Solidária is a non-profit project that aims to carry out social solidarity actions, namely assistance and meals to the homeless and needy population in the city of Porto.
The 12 screenings carried out in 2022 were as follows:
- January – Gallstones Screening, for adults over 30 years old
- February – Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Screening, for adults aged 40-65 years old
- March – Sleep Apnoea Screening, for those aged 18 and over
- April – Ophthalmology Screening, for children aged 5 to 10 years old
- May – Thyroid Nodule Screening, for adults over 25 years old
- June – Scoliosis Screening, for children aged 8-16 years
- July – Hearing Screening, for children aged 4-10 and adults aged 50+
- August – Body Composition Assessment Screening, for those aged 18 and over
- September – Body Composition Assessment Screening, for children and young adults
- October – Osteoporosis Fracture Risk Screening, for women over 65 years old
- November – Diabetic Foot Screening, for people with diabetes over 50 years old
- December – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Screening, for adults aged 40 to 80 who are smokers or ex-smokers, or have recurrent symptoms of cough, phlegm and breathlessness.
Article published on the Hospital de Santa Maria website
