Imaging Exam Unit in Ponta Grossa Expands SUS Care; See How It Works

The imaging cart in Ponta Grossa is already serving patients of the Unified Health System (SUS) who were waiting for specialized procedures. The mobile unit of the Ministry of Health is installed in the region of Olarias, near Biblioteca Municipal, and offers examinations such as tomography and ultrasound for residents of the city and other municipalities of Campos Gerais.

The structure is part of the Agora Tem Especialistas program, created by the Federal Government to expand the access of the population to consultations, examinations, procedures and specialized care within the public health network.

In Ponta Grossa, the wagon serves patients referred by the Municipal Health Department. In addition to the residents of the municipality, the unit also receives patients from 11 other cities in the region: Arapoti, Carambeí, Castro, Ipiranga, Ivaí, Jaguariaíva, Palmeira, Piraí do Sul, Porto Amazonas, São João do Triunfo and Sengés.

The service takes place from Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm. The wagon began work in the municipality on August 31 and should remain for the period necessary to expand the offer of exams and reduce the queue of the SUS.

During a visit to the unit on Friday (4), the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Adriano Massuda, highlighted the importance of the initiative to ensure specialized care to the population.

According to him, examinations performed by the mobile structure represent a significant saving for patients, since similar procedures in the particular network can have high costs.

“The wagons, in general, are 30 days, so it is necessary to carry out 1,400 calls and with this give a good flow in the waiting line,” explained the secretary.

Massuda also announced that the unit is expected to operate on Saturdays while it remains in Ponta Grossa, enabling the number of people served to increase.

Service depends on forwarding by SUS

The image examination cart on Ponta Grossa does not function as an open to the public. Patients must be previously registered and referred to the Municipal Health Secretariat.

Those awaiting specialized examinations by the SUS should seek a Basic Health Unit (UBS) for evaluation and possible referral according to medical need.

The initiative is part of a state action that has already led mobile units of the Ministry of Health to 17 municipalities of the Paraná. In all, more than 20,000 people were treated and approximately 79,000 procedures were performed.

With modern equipment and multiprofessional team, the cart represents an alternative to expand access to diagnostic tests, allowing to identify diseases more quickly and contribute to the more agile start of treatments.

Read also: Image cart should perform more than 1,400 calls in Ponta Grossa