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The General Directorate of Health published this Monday the Health Plan for autumn-winter 2020/2021.
In autumn-winter 2020-21, the Portuguese healthcare system and the NHS will face additional challenges, due to the potential increase in demand for healthcare.
As such, DGS has devised a plan to try to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus to respond to the health needs of all citizens.
Public health
In the field of Public Health, DGS maintains the recommendations for the prevention of covid-19.
- Reduction in the number of contacts between people;
- Physical distance;
- Respiratory label;
- Frequent hand hygiene;
- Frequent cleaning and disinfection of equipment and surfaces;
- Natural ventilation of spaces;
- Proper use of mask and PPE;
- Do not leave the house whenever there are symptoms that suggest covid-19;
- Contact the SNS24 whenever symptoms suggestive of covid-19 develop or there has been contact with a confirmed case of covid-19
- Compliance with all guidelines of health authorities and health professionals.
Flu shot
One of the covid-19 prevention strategies from the Directorate General of Health is vaccination against influenza in the coming autumn-winter with an increase in the number of doses and, consequently, in vaccination coverage.
The vaccination season will begin early this year, in late September. The goal is to get the earliest vaccine.
There will be a prioritization of risk groups for vaccination by phases:
- Residents, users and professionals of the ERPI, other social response establishments and the National Integrated Continuing Care Network (RNCCI);
- Health professionals from the SNS who constitute priority groups;
- Pregnant women (they have free access to the vaccine);
- Remaining population covered, according to the Standard published by the DGS.
As for the vaccination sites, they will also be expanded “to avoid restrictions on access to health units.”
Covid-19 case management
In the coming seasons, health centers and hospitals will have to create specific areas for all respiratory patients. These new areas will be called areas dedicated to respiratory patients.
The aim is for these to differ from the rest of the areas where other patients pass.
These specific spaces will be exclusive for the care of all patients with respiratory symptoms. And they must have laboratory capacity to test for COVID-19, flu, and other infections.
Monitoring and home clinical surveillance of patients with suspected or confirmed covid-19 who do not have clinical criteria of severity / need for hospitalization are carried out through the platform. Tracking-COVID-19, “to maintain the sustainability of the National Health Service.”
Screening and SNS24
Double screening model. How will it work?
- “Screening and remote referral of the most serious situations through the INEM / CODU, with discriminatory algorithms for acute respiratory infections.
- Screening, counseling and remote referral through the SNS24. Taking into account the accumulated experience with the “flu syndrome” algorithms and the algorithms designed specifically for covid-19, the integration of this knowledge in the development of improved algorithms that allow the identification of suspected cases of covid-19 has already begun. 19, as well as the severity criteria (and viability of home isolation) that improve adequate referral. In this way, the SNS24 will continue to strengthen and expand the clinical information service, accessible through the telephone channel and digital.
- Face-to-face screening at SNS access points, either in primary care units or in hospital units, through a uniform clinical and epidemiological questionnaire that guarantees referral to the appropriate circuit, to be included in the DGS Standard ”.
Stock of medicines
NHS health units must strengthen stocks of medicines to establish a strategic reserve, medical devices, PPE and laboratory tests.
- Specific medications, as “Remdesivir and others approved by the EMA for clinical use in patients with covid-19, whose access must be based on the best scientific evidence.”
- Covid-19 vaccines, “Which will be administered, after approval by the EMA, with universal character to eligible populations, taking into account the indications contained in the respective summaries of the characteristics of the product.”
Intersectoral response
The DGS plan also says that all regions of the country will have residential structures to house infected people, without serious symptoms and who do not have good living conditions.
Answer no covid-19
Contact must be facilitated and promoted through non-face-to-face means, but ensuring the speed of the face-to-face response whenever necessary, either in a programmed or non-programmed context ”.
There will be the creation of ““preoperative drive-through” outside the hospital units for preoperative examinations, including, where indicated, laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2;
The Autumn-Winter plan also has a proximity service for the dispensing of medicines.
