10 Years of Medchique, 10 Years of health in Monchique

HPA Magazine 9

It seems like only yesterday, but in fact it has been 10 years since the inauguration of Medchique. A boldly designed project developed by 3 young recent graduates who once dreamed of bringing health to Monchique. The “romance” with the HPA began in 2009, through working at the Hospital de São Camilo, and the “marriage” became official in 2013, with the full integration of the Clínica Particular Medchique into the HPA Health Group.

Ft.  Bruno Estremores

Physiotherapist
Managing Partner at the Clinica Particular Medchique

HE MEDCHIQUE PROJECT WAS AIMED AT THE SO-CALLED HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THAT AT THE TIME, HEALTHCARE WAS PRACTICALLY NON-EXISTENT IN MONCHIQUE. IS THIS CLOSENESS STILL PART OF THE STRATEGY OF THE UNIT?

Yes, the initial project of Medchique was, and continues to be, a project aimed at the community, with the objective of answering the need for Rehabilitation, or more precisely, Physiotherapy, given that this service was non-existent in the municipality. In 2007, Monchique had – and still has – an aging population, the majority receiving Social Security, with frequent and significant necessity for rehabilitation care, both curative and preventative. 
The nearest location available to the population was Portimão, which meant traveling 50 Km, sometimes by ambulance. This context and the lack of any remedy led us to try to make an agreement with ARS Algarve (Regional Health Administration), which unfortunately did not happen, because in over 15 years they have not established any agreements with any private entities in the field of Rehabilitation. We also tried to make an agreement with the Municipality, but unfortunately we were also unsuccessful. In order to get around these blockades and allow the community accessibility to the care we were offering, we decided to practice fair prices, in line with the population we wished to serve.
Although the initial project was strictly for Rehabilitation, it expanded to a more inclusive, multipurpose project, offering medical and surgical specialities. 

WHAT ADDED VALUES WERE GAINED BY BECOMING PART THE HPA GROUP?
Being part of a group such as the HPA is a privilege and an honour. The mission of the HPA Group is based on giving outstanding quality health care to its clients, so sharing this mission is in itself an added value. We are also sharing their organisational services and, above all, their managerial know-how. Although the principal gain is, in fact, the more direct access that Medchique’s clients will have to the clinical staff of the HPA Group, as well as the complementary means of diagnoses and therapies. Joining the Group also allowed us to expand Medchique’s agreements with insurance companies and healthcare subsystems such as ADSE.

WHAT SERVICES ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT MEDCHIQUE?
Besides daily Physiotherapy, in 2017, with the collaboration of Dr Manuel Veloso, we added General and Family Medicine four days a week. In other words, we have nearly-permanent availability for Family Medicine, with the advantage of having a doctor who is well known and much loved by the people of Monchique. As for the other specialities, we now have Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Cardiology, Orthopaedics, Neurology, Nutrition, Psychology, Podiatry, Osteopathy and Nursing services.

HOW DID YOU MARK MEDCHIQUE’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY?
We marked it in a simple way, mostly thinking about our clients and their well-being. Celebrating our 10th anniversary without thinking about them wouldn’t make sense, since they are the reason for our existence.
With this in mind, we changed the image of Medchique, a proposal from the Marketing Department, in order to standardise it in accordance with that of the HPA Health Group. We believe that it is more attractive now, and more welcoming.
Another commemorative aspect was the new CareCard Medchique. As I have mentioned, most of the population of Monchique have low incomes and consequently few alternative resources other than Social Security. In consideration of this, we developed a way for the Medchique community to have easier and more economical access to healthcare, not only in the Clinic, but also throughout the hospital network of the HPA Group.
This is how the Medchique CareCard came to be, a health card that gives our clients access to a variety of consultations, exams and services (including surgery and hospitalisation) at the very advantageous price of €36/year, which amounts to only €3/month. For example, the holder of a CareCard Medchique has access to General and Family Medicine for €25 and a 40% discount on Magnetic Resonance.

THE MEDCHIQUE ORGANISATION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE PROFESSIONALS THAT MAKE UP THE REHABILITATION TEAM OF THE HPA GROUP. 
HOW HAS THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS TEAM BEEN GOING AND WHAT OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED IN THIS FIELD?
Most people do not know this fact, but it is true that Medchique, besides being a Medical Clinic in Monchique, is also the Rehabilitation company of the HPA Group, managing a multidisciplinary team of therapists.
In general, the objectives for this team are the same as those of the HPA Group: outstanding quality healthcare. We have a highly specialised and experienced body of therapists, some with extremely specialised skills, integrated in the most competent and well-known national nuclei.
The majority of the therapists are permanently in training, in post graduate courses, or specialisation techniques, allowing us to offer a wide range of high quality skills. This has been the biggest objective in management of this team: to be sure we have excellent professionals, equal to those in the best rehabilitation centres.