The investment, equal to approximately 1.9 million real (1.5 million from UniSALESIANO and 400,000 from the hospital), was only possible thanks to the "Mais Médicos" (More MDs) program that promoted the course of Medicine in Araçatuba.
During the inauguration ceremony Fr Paulo Jácomo, SDB, Vice-Rector for Pastoral Care, and Msgr. Sérgio Krzywy, bishop of Araçatuba, led a moment of prayer and welcome, which culminated in the blessing of the rooms by the prelate. “May this moment be a moment to better understand the meaning of sickness and the importance of medicine,” commented the Salesian; Msgr. Krzywy emphasized the closeness of the inauguration with the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes and with the World Day of the Sick of the previous day, 11 February.
Then the Mayor of Araçatuba, Dilador Borges, stressed the importance of this collaboration between the UniSALESIAN and the "Santa Casa" Hospital, which has a regional and very complex healthcare-related responsibility. “This is why we have done our part, trying to reduce the bureaucracy,” explained the mayor, while he congratulated the managers of the Santa Casa and UniSALESIANO for the work done. “Let's join forces to build even more,” he finally wished.
At the end of the act, the Director General of UniSALESIANO, Fr Erondi Tamandaré, recalled that the Salesians are one of the largest educational agencies in the world and that every day they dedicate themselves to millions of young people, mostly in need: “We are the Church in every part of the world; we evangelize, take care of people, so that in this way everyone can know the love of God,” he affirmed. Finally, he joyfully commented on the inauguration of the building and assured the commitment to the quality training of the UniSALESIAN: “We believe in the common good, in human care and we will train our students in an ever more responsible, humane, ethical and competent way.”
According to Prof. André Ornellas, Vice Rector for Teaching, Research and Postgraduate Courses, this tripartite collaboration between the Municipality of Araçatuba, the Salesian University and the Santa Casa Hospital will foster an entire model of excellence in healthcare. “Collaboration with the municipal and hospital healthcare also comes with the Medicine course. In this case, the UniSALESIAN invests in the Single Health System with infrastructure projects - renovations and new constructions - and the purchase of new equipment.”
For his part, the Coordinator of the Medicine Course, Dr. Antônio Poletto, added that one of the objectives of the Medicine Course is to have an impact on the public health network. And he spotlighted, for example, the other recent success of this collaboration, namely the renovation of the building that now houses the "Auxilium" Specialized Health Center, where UniSALESIAN medical students are trained. “All this and much more will certainly benefit the local population and our students. They are modern facilities and able to better serve a greater patient capacity in Araçatuba and the region,” he said.
https://www.infoans.org/en/sections/news/item/14740-brazil-unisalesiano-finances-opening-of-new-outpatient-building-in-aracatuba#sigProId93c7797ed3
