Rui inaugurates the largest women's healthcare hospital in the North-Northeast region.
With an investment of over R$ 40 million in construction and equipment, Governor Rui Costa inaugurated the Maria Luzia Costa dos Santos Women's Hospital in Largo de Roma, Salvador. It is the largest hospital specializing in women's health in the North-Northeast region. The unit has 10 operating rooms and 136 beds, 97 for inpatient care, 10 for intensive care (ICU), and 29 for day hospital services. "It's breathtaking. The emotion is overwhelming. My mother died of breast cancer, and at that time there were many difficulties in diagnosis and treatment. I'm here hoping that, soon, no woman will die of breast cancer because she didn't have access to care, treatment, and surgery," said an emotional Rui.
Bahia 247 - With an investment exceeding R$ 40 million between works and equipment, Governor Rui Costa inaugurated the Women's Hospital – Maria Luzia Costa dos Santos, located in Largo de Roma, in Salvador, on the afternoon of this Monday (9). After undergoing sanitization procedures and team training, from Tuesday (10) to Thursday (12), the Women's Hospital will begin outpatient care on Friday (13). Next Monday (16), it will begin receiving patients, the same day as the opening of the gynecological emergency and urgent care services.
This is the largest hospital specializing in women's health in the North-Northeast region of Brazil and is considered a state-level referral center. The unit has ten operating rooms and 136 beds, with 97 for inpatient care, 10 for intensive care (ICU), and 29 for day hospital services. The diagnostic center is equipped with a computed tomography scanner, mammogram machine, ultrasound, Doppler scan, X-ray, and a 24-hour laboratory. The hospital has the capacity to perform 9,000 consultations and 1,000 surgical procedures per month.
The Women's Hospital will provide assistance in the areas of gynecology and mastology, in addition to care in the areas of human reproduction, oncology, and situations related to sexual violence. The unit also has a 24-hour gynecological emergency service. The State Government, through the Health Secretariat (Sesab), will invest approximately R$ 4 million per month in the hospital's maintenance, which will be managed by a social organization.
New Arrivals
One of the new developments within the Unified Health System (SUS) in Bahia is the medium-complexity assisted human reproduction service. The goal is to serve women with a confirmed diagnosis of endometrial polyps, adnexal cysts, endometriosis, congenital malformations, or who have been infertile for more than two years without a defined cause.
The high-resolution service for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer is also unprecedented. Women with diagnostic imaging exams indicative of malignant tumors will undergo biopsy on the same day and may undergo immediate surgical intervention at the health unit. This speed is intended to reduce the time to start treatment and the loss to follow-up for these women, which will allow for fewer sequelae and greater survival rates.
Women will also have access to family planning services with long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and tubal ligation. The service will primarily target women at risk for thrombosis, hypertension, heart disease, sickle cell disease, and/or those in situations of social vulnerability.
Another new feature is the specialized care service for victims of sexual violence. Patients arriving at the unit will receive support upon their own request, through police or judicial authorities, or referred by the SAMU Emergency Center. Qualified listening, clinical and surgical care, psychological support, as well as dispensing and administering prophylactic medication in indicated cases will be available. Guidance and scheduling for psychological and gynecological follow-up for up to six months will also be provided.
Service flow
Since all procedures are scheduled, interested women should seek out a Basic Health Unit in their municipality to be referred to the Women's Hospital services. Municipal health departments are responsible for registering patients in the single waiting list system, which centralizes the demand from all 417 municipalities and is managed by the State Government. The service will be organized into outpatient, day-hospital, and inpatient hospital settings, on an elective basis.
Employment and technology
The Women's Hospital generated 655 direct jobs, including 463 healthcare professionals such as doctors, psychologists, nurses, nutritionists, social workers, pharmacists, and physiotherapists. The unit also has 192 service and logistical support professionals such as stretcher bearers, receptionists, security guards, cleaning staff, telephone operators, kitchen staff, warehouse assistants, maintenance assistants, clinical engineers, and administrative personnel.
In terms of technology, the unit has state-of-the-art equipment. The ten operating rooms have cutting-edge equipment, offering greater precision for professionals and patients. The diagnostic center is equipped with a computed tomography scanner, mammogram machine, ultrasound, Doppler scan, and X-ray. The Clinical Analysis Laboratory will operate 24 hours a day, offering all biochemistry, coprology, hematology, hormone, immunology, body fluid (including cerebrospinal fluid), microbiology, blood gas analysis (in the ICU), and urinalysis tests.
Women treated at the unit will also have access to Anatomical Pathology diagnosis, which will be used in biopsies from the High-Resolution Service for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast and Cervical Cancer, as well as biopsies resulting from surgical procedures.