Of particular note is the construction of a new paediatric inpatient building, located next to the Women’s and Children’s Clinic, designed to ensure modern, safe conditions tailored to the specific needs of children and their families, whilst promoting greater efficiency in the provision of care.

The project has been developed in close cooperation with the Municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão, whose institutional coordination “has proved decisive for its implementation, ensuring the necessary conditions for the development of the project, particularly in terms of the territorial framework and accessibility”, states the ULS.

The new unit will significantly enhance paediatric care capacity, improve clinical pathways and coordination with complementary diagnostic services, raise standards of comfort and safety, and optimise the use of available resources. At the same time, a new outpatient surgical block will be developed, increasing surgical output, reducing waiting times and establishing a more efficient, patient-centred care model.

These works will involve temporary adjustments, including the removal of parking spaces and the felling of some trees, which will be offset by a landscape regeneration of the hospital grounds, bringing improvements in functionality, sustainability and the quality of public spaces.

This investment effort is accompanied by a plan to renew medical and surgical equipment and the implementation of three Integrated Diagnostic Centres in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Trofa and Santo Tirso, the latter being a pioneer in the country for integrating a CT scanner into a community setting.

Through this set of initiatives, the Médio Ave Local Health Unit affirms “a clear strategy of modernisation, proximity and strengthening of healthcare provision, consolidating its role as a regional benchmark in the delivery of integrated healthcare”.