MONTEVIDEO, Aug 30 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Health Ministers Cristina Lustemberg of Uruguay and Alexandre Padilha of Brazil have signed an agreement to create a binational health commission to improve healthcare services in their border regions.
The understanding’s main goal is to reactivate a commission to coordinate health actions and overcome bureaucratic obstacles. Both sides have committed to forming this advisory body within 15 days, with a detailed work plan to be finalized by the end of 2025.
“We are going to reactivate the binational commission between both countries with a clear vision of guaranteeing the best quality of care,” Lustemberg said. “There can be no obstacles when people’s health is at stake,” she added.
“Uruguayan facilities can receive Brazilian patients, Brazilian facilities can receive Uruguayan patients, so that we can strengthen actions on the border,” Padilha pointed out.
In addition, a neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) is to be established at Rivera’s hospital to treat local newborns as well as those from across the border in Santana do Livramento and other nearby places. The measure seeks to avoid transporting critically ill infants long distances. Around 1,200 births are registered each year in the department of Rivera. The neonatal ICU is expected to begin operating in January 2026.
The agreement is expected to facilitate access to various healthcare services across the border, including specialized medical exams like MRIs and CT scans, emergency care, and the mutual recognition of medical prescriptions to allow residents to receive care regardless of which side of the border they live on.
The event also highlighted joint efforts to combat measles, with both countries promoting a binational vaccination campaign in response to a significant increase in cases across the Americas.
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), reports of the disease have increased 34-fold compared to last year, with 10,347 cases and 18 confirmed deaths as of August. Brazil has recorded 21 cases, including one in Porto Alegre.
“We have a large flow of people from both countries in the border region. So, these are people who travel to Brazil and Uruguay. It is important that they are vaccinated and protected so that diseases such as measles do not circulate,” explained Eliese Denardi Cesar, coordinator of Rio Grande do Sul’s immunization program. — NNN-MERCOPRESS
