In the first nine months of last year, the Regional Administration for Health, ARS-Algarve, reduced €15 million on spending compared to the same period in 2011.
This reduction in expenditure was achieved “without compromising the quality and accessibility of healthcare in the region” said ARS-Algarve.
The current president of the board, Dr Martins dos Santos, is convinced that these results reflect the strategy by the institution throughout 2012, “focused on a strict control on spending in order to achieve balance and financial sustainability”. According to ARS-Algarve, this effort “can be more effectively applied, without jeopardising the quality of services provided.”
Thus, the reduction of about €5 million on expenses per quarter was possible through restructuring and reorganising services.
This cut on expenditure included reducing medication expenses (-20%), diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (-20%), and patient transportation services (24%). Extra hours at work had also been reduced by 18%.
