The national immunization program and health care reform
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v23i4.10385Abstract
Vaccination programmes are one of the Public Healths most cost-effective measures, contributing for the reduction of incidence and mortality of infectious diseases. Portugal has a National Vaccination Programme since 1965 which is universal and free for the user; its application has permitted to control or to eradicate the eleven illnesses included in the vaccination programme. The application of the National Vaccination Programme implies a meticulous management, from a central / national level up to the vaccination room, and there are unique characteristics of the Programme which are necessary to preserve, namely universality and accessibility, acceptability for the professionals and the population, feasibility and effectiveness, with impact in the individual and group immunity. To guarantee these requirements, an appropriate planning competence, organization, logistics, and results evaluation are required. The discontinuation of the Sub-Regions required a quick reengineering of the management system of the National Vaccination Programme, with two possible models: centralized, concentrating the previous competences of the 18 Health Sub-Regions in the 5 Health Regions (ARS), or decentralized. It seems to us, that the first option, which allows the management of the Program by the ARS, will be the most efficient. Whatever model will be adopted, the principles, objectives and results of the National Vaccination Programme must be guaranteed, having in mind the basic primacy of Medicine, Primum non nocere, which is applied to the most universal of the national health programmes.Downloads
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