D-Notícias

On December 2, the Rio de Janeiro City Hall held the first United through the Cure (Unidos Pela Cura) Public Policy Meeting, presenting and discussing its accomplishments and exploring challenges still to be surmounted in the State paediatric oncology network.  The event ended with a graduation ceremony for 44 paediatricians in the municipal healthcare network trained in the procedures introduced by this policy.  To date, 136 paediatricians and 28 tutors have been trained and are now implementing this policy through referral cards.

The panel at the opening ceremony included the Children’s Healthcare Area Manager Martha Vilela from the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Health and Civil Defence Bureau (SMSDC), Instituto Desiderata Director Beatriz Azeredo, Rio de Janeiro State Centre / Ministry of Health (NERJ/MS) Coordinator Selene Bezerra, and the President of the Rio de Janeiro State Paediatrics Society (SOPERJ) Fátima Coutinho. 

The physicians in charge of the United through the Cure Public Policy at the Research Hub hospitals (Hemorio, INCA, Hospital da Lagoa, Hospital dos Servidores and IPPMG) presented data on the care offered to children coming in with referral cards.  There was unanimous agreement regarding the shortage of onco-haematologists in these hospitals, reflecting the fragility of the services offered by the healthcare network.  The presentation showed that the acceptance process is efficient and well organised at most of these hubs, generating impressive results. 

The second panel featured contributions in the education area of this policy, with ongoing training for municipal paediatricians, presenting technology-based education alternatives that could be included in the training process, such as offering the possibility of specialised second opinions in order to confirm suspected cases of childhood cancers.