Luanda: The start of the national interventional neuroradiology project will have a significant financial impact on the Angolan state. Previously, the state spent between 200,000 and 300,000 US dollars per patient on treatment abroad, the Health Minister, Silvia Lutucuta, said on Wednesday.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the minister made the statement while visiting citizens undergoing minimally invasive treatment procedures for vascular and cerebral pathologies at the Pedro Maria Tonha Pedal© Hospital Complex. Neuroradiology, a subspecialty of radiology, utilizes advanced imaging technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography to diagnose and treat conditions affecting the central and peripheral nervous systems, including the brain, spinal cord, spine, head, and neck. It is divided into diagnostic and interventional areas.
Lutucuta explained that the previous costs included specialized surgery, hospitalization in intensive care units, air transport, accommodation, additional examinations, and medication, with intensive care alone potentially exceeding 3,000 US dollars per day. With the first procedures performed in the public network this week, Angola is now able to treat highly complex cerebrovascular pathologies locally, significantly reducing international medical evacuation costs.
The minister stressed that this development represents a major change in the Unified Health System, marking a historic milestone by offering this treatment free of charge to patients. This initiative provides technical, financial, and educational benefits.
She also announced that five patients have already undergone procedures in the project's new phase, including a patient with severe cerebral hemorrhaging. All patients are showing positive clinical progress and have been discharged from the ICU.
Celestino Delgado, head of the hospital's Radiology Service, noted that 99% of the team consists of Angolan professionals, including doctors, anesthetists, radiologists, and neurosurgeons. He added that the forecast is to perform 12-13 interventions by the end of the mission, aiming to establish a permanent national program.
