Her Excellency, Minister Fontes Lima signs order on regulating medical evacuations
On November 18th, 2013, the Minister of Health of the Republic of Cape Verde, Dr. Maria Cristina Fontes Lima signed the order on regulating medical evacuations in Cape Verde. According to this order, every patient who needs evacuation on medical grounds has to be teleconsulted prior to departure to the two referral hospitals of the country – Hospital Dr. Agostinho Neto in Praia and Hospital Dr. Baptista de Sousa in Mindelo with the exception of cases that are in eminent life risk and should be immediately evacuated. The order enters into force on January 2014.
The personnel of the two referral hospitals, in collaboration with representatives from the ITeHP-CV Leadership Team and the representatives of the country’s health insurance authorities are actively working to establish the administrative and logistic support for the implementation of the order. In parallel, NOSi and CV Telecom have just completed connectivity between eight of the nine inhabited islands of the country with the ninth one (Brava) expected to join the network by early January 2014. The above mentioned order is one of the most important measures recommended by the implementing agency of the ITeHP-CV, the International Virtual e-Hospital Foundation. This project follows a four phase strategy: Initiate-Build-Operate-Transfer (IBOT) and the order that was just signed is a part of the IBOT approach to guaranty legal support and long-term sustainability to the ITeHP-CV.
ITeHP-CV program is financed by the Republic of Slovenia and implemented by International Virtual e-Hospital Foundation through ITF Enhancing Human Security.