ATTENTION TO PUBLIC HEALTH
The teaching, research and extension carried out in the schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Psychology and Nursing are linked in many different ways to the public health sector. Here, as an example, we will refer only to the activities at the University Hospital, the institution offering the greatest number of services in Uruguay’s public health system.
The following chart presents information for the year 2001, prior to the national economic crisis, and from the three most recent years, in order to point out two phenomena that account for the hospital’s growth: the increase in visits to doctors, treatment and other attention solicited by those who used private medical facilities before the 2002 crisis and because of it were forced to depend upon the public health system; and the increase in highly specialized procedures, such as those carried out by the Institutes of Higher Specialization (IMAE), particularly in the areas of cardiology and nephrology.
Health attention data of the university hospital. |
|
|
|
|
|
2001 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
Emergency consultations |
36.961 |
41.247 |
39.804 |
42.436 |
Outpatient consultations |
100.747 |
156.934 |
145.591 |
145.318 |
Laboratory tests |
651.558 |
844.185 |
887.826 |
923.864 |
Physical therapy and rehabilitation procedures |
37.377 |
39.267 |
43.267 |
35.964 |
Radiology studies |
21.815 |
24.417 |
22.898 |
23.499 |
Tomography studies |
7.646 |
8.323 |
8.759 |
9.645 |
Ultrasound studies |
6.312 |
8.410 |
8.074 |
9.029 |
Cardiology studies and treatments |
14.524 |
23.792 |
22.556 |
24.544 |
Anatomo-pathological studies |
4.649 |
6.467 |
6.310 |
6.858 |
Nuclear medicine studies |
8.132 |
30.028 |
28.776 |
21.515 |
Substance abuse consultations |
9.251 |
10.685 |
9.820 |
9.252 |
Chirurgical interventions |
4.863 |
5.111 |
5.326 |
5.793 |
Births |
1.209 |
1.077 |
1.012 |
883 |
Dialysis |
3.281 |
4.649 |
3.702 |
4.992 |
Kidney transplants |
3 |
10 |
5 |
3 |
Kidney and Pancreas transplants |
|
5 |
1 |
7 |
Angioplasty |
36 |
73 |
55 |
101 |
Cardiac surgeries |
25 |
65 |
70 |
77 |
Average number of hospitalization days |
15 |
16 |
16 |
15 |
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|
|
|
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Source: Department of Medical Information, University Hospital |
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Many and varied teaching activities are carried out at the Hospital. The following chart illustrates some numbers for 2006, a year considered average in this respect.
Undergraduates and post-grad students who took courses during 2006 at the University Hospital |
|
Students |
Number |
Students of Medicine |
770 |
Students of Medical Technology |
3000 |
School of Nutrition Students |
1290 |
Graduate School Students |
757 |
Continuous Medical Education |
157 |
Nursing School students |
511 |
Medicine Interns |
349 |
Nursing Interns |
120 |
Midwifery Interns |
54 |
Residents |
127 |
Total |
7135 |
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|
Source: files of Services and Schools of the University of the Republic |
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