The management of the pandemic has meant a before and following in terms of making preventive medicine and public health visible. Galicia has played an important role in the management of cases and contacts of the general population, as well as in the management of the COVID teams and support for the vaccination teams, leading a large part of the process.
In addition to evidencing the importance of public health, the need for coordinated action between the different actors who direct decision-making was also confirmed. This coordinated work is reinforced with the future creation of the Galician Center for Disease Control and Prevention, announced at the end of 2022, and which will provide excellence in epidemiological surveillance work. It will allow the retention and recruitment of talent, through new formulas for the provision of personnel and will contribute to the creation of knowledge, with the study of outbreaks.
Despite the fact that the actions in health matters were linked to the pandemic, Galicia remained very aware of Europe, working to be in line with the new Recommendation that opens the door to developing programs for the early detection of cancers such as lung or prostate cancer. In 2022 the Galician Cancer Management Strategyaligned with the European Plan.
The idea of the Galician Government is to extend the screening programs and increase participation. For this, some budgets have been approved that increase the item for screening, mainly to face the extension to all of Galicia of cervical cancer and that in 2023 it will reach 100% of the population.
The Galician community started the colorectal cancer screening in 2013 and it reached 100% coverage in 2019. Since its launch, tests have been carried out on more than half a million Galicians and more than 1,500 cancers have been detected in their initial stages.
He Galician Breast Cancer Screening Program, which has just celebrated its 30th anniversary, reaches levels close to 80% each year. More than 3 million examinations have been performed and more than 10,000 cancers have been detected early. In 2022, a significant investment was made in the renewal of four of the mammographs in this program, incorporating new equipment equipped with 3D technology.
“Despite the fact that the actions were linked to the pandemic, Galicia continued to work to be in line with what is recommended by the EU to develop programs for the early detection of cancers such as lung or prostate cancer”
But it is not possible to take stock of the work carried out without addressing the challenges that 2023 entails. Challenges that, in the Galician case, include reducing the waiting lists, making the most of the existing resources in the Galician Health Service, with the goal of surpassing pre-pandemic records.
To achieve this, the implementation of a care activity maximization program. For this reason, work will continue with the image of Sergas as a unique hospital, optimizing the capacity of regional hospitals and speeding up interventions for patients from other centers through them.
All this through a plan that encompasses very specific objectives such as chronic care. In primary care, patients with chronic and multipathological pathologies who have not been reviewed in the last 6 months will be proactively scheduled. More than 85,000 primary care consultations and an additional 13,000 hospital consultations will be scheduled.
With the implantation of the Medical Imaging Center 120,000 additional reports of diagnostic tests are expected. The Care Activity Intensification Program also provides for more than 4,000 additional interventions in regional hospitals on extraordinary days. In the same way, regarding 600 surgeries and more than 6,000 consultations aimed at people over 90 years of age are estimated.
The sum of factors that occur in Galician public health, excellent professionals and cutting-edge technology, contributes to the achievement of these challenges being closer every day. Galicia will not only continue to respond to the areas of diagnosis and treatment, but also to those related to prevention, research, planning and management.
