Service Fair: Here, More Health serves the population of Sousa and the region.

The Service Fair: Here, More Health, promoted by the State Health Department and part of the "Democratic Citizenship" initiative, visited another city in the hinterland of Paraíba. This past Saturday (11), services were offered at the ECIT Mestre Júlio Sarmento, in Sousa. The initiative follows the schedule of the State Democratic Budget plenaries (ODE), providing outpatient services, exams, influenza vaccination, animal castration, referrals to the Opera Paraíba Program, and blood donation collection.

Services are always provided from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and the population has been attending to take advantage of specialized health services closer to their homes. One of the people benefiting was housewife Maria do Socorro Silva Enedino, 59, who left the Service Fair: Here, More Health with a scheduled vascular procedure. "I've had to go to João Pessoa twice to treat my legs. I have a lot of veins, and they are very painful, it's very bad. Being able to have surgery nearby will greatly reduce my expenses of having to go to the capital, and I'll be back home faster. I came referred by the clinic near my house, and here I arrived with the documentation, and everything was fast. Now it's just a matter of having the surgery and celebrating," said Mrs. Maria do Socorro.

For the state health secretary, Jhony Bezerra, bringing health services closer to the population is the main objective of this itinerant action. "We have combined the services of the SES with 'Democratic Citizenship' and it has been a success, both in terms of population adherence and in terms of speeding up high and medium complexity procedures. Here at the fair, the patient can already bring the exams, the referrals, do the surgical risk assessment, and leave with the surgery scheduled. It is much faster in the process of elective surgeries and less displacement for the population. At the fair, they also have access to outpatient consultations, laboratory exams, and ultrasound, as well as being able to update their vaccines, receive physiotherapy services, and receive various orientations on well-being and health," explains the secretary.

The Service Fair: Here, More Health also includes two mobile units: the blood collection unit of the Paraíba Hemocenter and the Castramóvel of the Paraíba PET Program. The director of the Hemocenter, Shirlene Gadêlha, explains that this moment is important for recruiting new donors and also reinforcing Paraíba's blood stock. "We will have the mobile collection unit during all actions, and we call on the population to join, as blood donation is an act of solidarity, voluntary, and of love. Through a donation, you help save four lives," emphasizes the director.

Regarding animal care, the fair has an educational and public health aspect, with the castration of dogs and cats being carried out. The operational manager of Animal Cause Policies, Fabíola Rezende, highlights that the castramóvel helps in population control and reduces abandonment, especially in areas that do not have a castration program to assist owners and independent protectors. "This is the first time that the State Government has embraced the animal cause, and we have an entire structure to assist animals, and the population has actively embraced it, in addition to independent protectors and institutions that already take care of dogs and cats and take advantage of the opportunity to evaluate and neuter the animals," reinforces the manager.

One of the independent protectors who attended the event was Henrique Avelino, who brought two female cats and two female dogs to undergo sterilization. "We know how important it is to reduce the abandonment of dogs and cats on the streets since it reduces their population due to sterilization. This action here is very good because we don't have anything similar in the region, and this is an opportunity. I hope it comes more often because it is great both for us protectors and for the population as a whole, in addition to reducing cases of mistreatment," emphasized the protector.

The service fair also includes rapid tests for STIs, blood pressure and blood sugar measurement. The population also has access to guidance on combating dengue and can better understand the mosquito's life cycle through the entomology action. The schedule of the Service Fair: Here, More Health follows the schedule of ODE hearings, with the next ones in: Guarabira (May 16), Mamanguape (May 17), Catolé do Rocha (May 31), Pombal (June 1), Patos (June 7), Monteiro (June 8), Itaporanga (June 14), Princesa Isabel (June 15), Juazeirinho (July 5), Pilar (July 6), Itabaiana (July 12), and João Pessoa (July 13).