Patient Lives at the Regional Hospital of Santarém and Advances in High School
Élida Sousa, 17 years old, has lived in the hospital since she was six months old, as she depends on the unit's equipment. She receives educational support from Seduc.
The last year of high school is an important moment in students' lives as they prepare to take entrance exams while deciding which course they want to pursue and which profession they want to follow. Élida Sousa, 17 years old, was eager for classes to start soon. She is a long-term patient at the Dr. Waldemar Penna Regional Hospital of Lower Amazon (HRBA) in Santarém, western Pará, and began this new phase of studies with a strong desire to learn.
Élida Souza is being treated for congenital neuropathy; she needs the hospital's structure and equipment and has been a resident of the unit since she was six months old. Élida is accompanied daily by her parents and receives care from the HRBA's multidisciplinary team.
"I think it's cool because it's already the last year of high school. It went by so fast; some time ago I was in the first year, and now I'm in the third, already preparing to take the Enem and for college. It's about studying a lot to finish high school with everything. I was anxious, but thank God I have already started my studies, and now I need to prepare well for graduation at the end of the year," said the teenager.
The partnership between the Teaching and Research Department (DEP) of the hospital and the State Department of Education (Seduc) ensures Élida's studies. She is enrolled in the state education network at Plácido de Castro school and receives Specialized Educational Assistance (AEE), with a teacher visiting twice a week to work on the curriculum content of her grade.
"The state has a program called Cemep (Center for Media of Education in Pará) where all these contents are offered. So, I provide this support. I bridge the knowledge to her. We work on math, Portuguese, literature, all the subjects she should have in the classroom. Everything to help her with tests, competitions, and her future. It is rewarding; she is a student with a promising future. She stands out for the effort, dedication, and willpower she demonstrates in class," explained teacher Ivo de Castro.
Education - Classes take place at the patient's bedside. Élida watches the curriculum content through a cell phone and also receives guidance and clarifies doubts in person with the teacher, in addition to completing assignments, projects, and tasks.
According to the hospital team, the patient is dedicated to her studies and took the National High School Exam (Enem) last year just as an experience. "Élida has always had this enthusiasm for studies. Education is the foundation for any individual, and to ensure she does not lose that connection with education, we established this partnership with Seduc so she could study in the hospital environment. Today, she ambitiously seeks this knowledge so that one day she can become a great professional," highlighted Lia Mara Couto, the administrative coordinator of the DEP of the Regional Hospital.
For Élida's father, Raimundo Ferreira de Sousa, it is important to see his daughter starting another stage of education and acquiring new knowledge. "For me, it is wonderful. She is a very dedicated student to learning. I am happy. She was anxious to start this last year of high school. Some people do not want to grow, to study, and she does. I am proud to see my daughter studying."
"Élida's story is a case of overcoming. Seduc has been seeking partnerships through a technical cooperation agreement to provide hospital educational support through a facilitator, enabling Élida to attend high school and take the Enem exams. Since she seeks to overcome, we are the facilitators of this achievement," pointed out Dayan Serique dos Santos, the director of the Regional Education Directorate of Seduc.
Reference - In addition to providing excellent health care, the Dr. Waldemar Penna Regional Hospital of Lower Amazon is also a reference in teaching and research in the western region of the state, with Medical and Multidisciplinary Residencies, internship programs, and support for scientific production within the unit.
Regarding regular education, in addition to the partnership with Seduc for Élida's studies, HRBA has two other resident patients who also receive specialized education through an agreement with the Municipal Education Department of Santarém.
"We were the first teaching hospital in the interior of Pará, and because we have this educational vein, we offer education to our resident patients who have this right. So, we bring these classes into the hospital environment. We are pleased with the interest of these students and the initiatives that somehow manage to equate this study in a very humanized manner here within the unit," celebrated Matheus Coutinho, the general director of HRBA.
Élida Sousa has already chosen the course she wants to pursue in higher education. "I want to study design. I thought about entrepreneurship, but I decided to change, and I am sure I will learn."
Service: HRBA is a reference in medium and high complexity for a population of 1.4 million people residing in 29 municipalities, providing 100% referenced services, meeting the demand originating from the State Regulation Center.
The unit belongs to the Government of Pará, being managed by the Social Institute Mais Saúde in partnership with the State Department of Public Health (Sespa). It is located at Avenida Sérgio Henn, No. 1100, in the Diamantino neighborhood, in Santarém.
