ASSE inaugurated the Children’s Development House in the Cerro neighborhood of Montevideo
The Administration of State Health Services (ASSE) inaugurated, this Thursday 22, the House for the Development of Children in Cerro, in Montevideo, with the presence of the Vice President of the Republic, Beatriz Argimón, and the Secretary of the Presidency, Alvaro Delgado. The center will provide comprehensive and multidisciplinary care to children and adolescents who use the public provider with a diagnosis of developmental disorders.
The opening was also attended by the Minister and Undersecretary of Public Health, Daniel Salinas and José Luis Satdjian, respectively; the general director of Health, Miguel Asqueta; the head of Social Development, Martin Lema; the members of the ASSE board of directors, among them, the president of the institution, Leonardo Cipriani; the technical reference of the Children’s Area of the public provider, Ignacio Ascione, and the presidents of the Social Welfare Bank (BPS), Alfredo Cabrera, and the National Administration of Public Education (ANEP), Robert Silva.
In his oratory, Argimón stressed that with this inauguration progress is made in the real exercise of children’s rights. He pointed out that these instances are fundamental because they confirm that their rights are made.
Early childhood government priority
He expressed that the priority of the Government in early childhood is reflected in the items approved in the accountability for 50,000,000 dollars per year and that this type of action represents the execution of a political will. “Once a political will has been achieved, it is our obligation that what is decided reaches those it has to reach, through exhaustive monitoring,” he pointed out.
“A society must be measured by how it treats its children and the elderly especially, and that commitment must be made fundamentally when one is in the exercise of government,” he said.
In turn, Delgado said that the opening of the center is important news because it is a fact that changes the reality of many people. Families who need this type of care should no longer go to the Pereira Rossell hospital, and this shows the sense of decentralization that exists in this and all the Executive’s decisions, he specified. He added that another fundamental change for the residents of the area will be when the Cerro hospital is inaugurated in the second half of 2023.
He stressed that the Government promotes articulated and complementary work between the different State agencies, with the aim of being more efficient in resources and public services. “The center must always be the citizen,” he remarked.
Likewise, he pointed out that this inauguration is consistent with one of the priorities of this administration, which is to comprehensively attend to early childhood, for which an item of 50,000,000 dollars is allocated each year in the rendering of accounts.
In addition, he recognized the work of the ASSE board of directors for the management carried out in a decentralized manner and with a conception of top quality health and for all.
Generate equal opportunities
The objective of a government must be, in the first instance, to generate equal opportunities in development. This opening is important for Cerro, for ASSE, for Uruguay, but, above all, for the children of this area, he affirmed.
Salinas, meanwhile, mentioned that the surveillance guides for developmental disorders of the Ministry of Public Health are significant to achieve an early and timely diagnosis, and asserted that these disorders are underdiagnosed, so coordination between State agencies is essential. for a comprehensive response to this problem.
In addition, he considered it relevant that the center is located in the historic neighborhood of Cerro, because it is a highly populated area, with many assistance needs, both in health, education and food.
Cipriani reported that these houses, which are a priority for this period of government, are intended for children using the public provider who, faced with the diagnosis of a developmental disorder, require an approach through the work of pediatricians, speech therapists, neuropsychiatrists, specialized teachers, psychomotor specialists, social workers and other professionals.
This is the fourth installed, the first was in the city of Las Piedras, the second in Artigas and the third in Rivera.
The hierarch explained that the creation of these spaces responds to high demand, since the prevalence in children with developmental disorders is 15%. The scientific evidence shows that the evolution is positive if this population is attended to in a comprehensive, early and timely manner, indicated Cipriani.
He added that this home began operating in August and, since then, 526 patients have been assisted, which represents more than 3,000 consultations.
