Hospital Abelardo Santos completes 6 years of high-complexity services for the people of Pará
A reference for women, children, and indigenous people, the largest public health unit of the Government of Pará, has provided 1.7 million services in the last two years
"My life took on a new meaning after I went through Abelardo Santos." The words of Wilmara Bentes da Silva, 33 years old, summarize the feelings of thousands of people served by the Dr. Abelardo Santos Regional Hospital (HRAS), in Icoaraci, a district of Belém, which today, September 19, celebrates six years of public health services provided to the people of Pará.
Affectionately called "Giant," for being the largest health unit of the Government of Pará, HRAS was delivered to the population in September 2019 by Governor Helder Barbalho, as part of a broad investment program in the state health network. Since then, HRAS has been expanding its care capacity and, in the last two years, has performed more than 1.7 million services.
"I was in a coma for almost a month. My family told me that I received all the necessary, humanized care so that I could be alive. I can only congratulate the hospital for everything. If it weren't for Abelardo Santos, I would never have met my daughter, Wiliane Vitória, and followed her growth. The anniversary is of the hospital, but we are the ones who benefit," adds Wilmara.
This year, in particular, Hospital Abelardo Santos achieved, for the first time, the Acreditado – ONA 1 certification, one of the most important in Brazil. The seal attests to the quality of the services provided in the health area and confirms that the unit meets the fundamental safety criteria, ensuring processes that reduce risks and prevent harm to patients, companions, and professionals.
Opportunities
After eight months of treatment at the hospital, little Allana Rebeca decided to celebrate her sixth birthday with a theme: "Future Pediatrician of Hospital Abelardo Santos." According to her mother, Rosana Cabral, 28 years old, the choice was inspired by her daughter's positive experience at the unit.
"She always said: 'Mommy, I want my birthday to be with the people in white,' referring to the professionals who took care of her," she said. "When I grow up, I want to be a pediatrician because I really liked the people who took care of me. I am very happy with my birthday, with the surprise and the gift I received. When I become a doctor, I want to work here to take care of other children, just like they took care of me while I was here. Congratulations, Abelardo," said Allana.
The unit is also one of the main maternity hospitals in Pará, with more than 5,000 births performed per year. Among them is the first child of the couple Camila Borges and José Roberto Sanches. "We have nothing to complain about; on the contrary, everything was professional. In fact, our son is named Abelardo Estevan, as a way to honor the unit in this unique moment for us," revealed Roberto.
First-time mother, Júlia Rosa dos Santos, 24 years old, said that her maternity experience was marked by discoveries and emotions. "The most memorable moment happened in the ninth month: the birth. And the coolest thing is that the hospital provided all the support so that I could be the protagonist during the birth of my son. Everything was planned with care, including having him here at 'Abelardo Santos.'"
In 2020, the unit exclusively served people with Covid-19 symptoms, receiving more than 38,000 patients in just two months. The following year, the hospital was nationally recognized for its positive results in combating the disease, being included in the Post-Covid-19 Reab Project of the Institutional Development Support Program of the Unified Health System (Proadi-SUS).
Indigenous Health
The hospital complex was also responsible for the care of more than 661 indigenous people in 2024 and 2025, mainly from the Tembé, Assurini, Amanayé, and Munduruku ethnic groups, standing out in the line of care for indigenous peoples. It was a pioneer in the Amazon by signing the adhesion to the Incentive for Specialized Care for Indigenous Peoples (IAE-PI) from the Ministry of Health (MS).
At the end of August, Freddy Cardona, a Warao leader in Belém, received specialized care along with his daughter at the hospital. "The universal care, without distinction, was one of the things that caught my attention the most. There is always a fear of going to an unknown place, but here I can say that I felt calm and confident in the professionals," says Freddy.
For the Secretary of State for Public Health (Sespa), Ivete Gadelha Vaz, celebrating the anniversary of Hospital Abelardo Santos means reaffirming the commitment of the Government of Pará to ensure quality assistance to the population. "This hospital was born with the mission of being a reference in strategic specialties and, over this period, has consolidated itself as a fundamental pillar of the state health network, offering resolutive, humanized services that directly impact the lives of thousands of people from Pará," she highlighted.
Structure
Hospital Abelardo Santos is managed by the Social Institute Mais Saúde (ISMS), in partnership with Sespa. The structure includes a pediatric, gynecological, and obstetric emergency room open 24 hours, in addition to 360 beds distributed among emergency, surgery, clinical hospitalization, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and Intermediate Care Units (UCIn).
To meet these and other demands, the unit maintains an infrastructure for hospitalization and outpatient care and offers 11 specialties: vascular, urology, thoracic surgery, gynecological surgery, mastology, endoscopy, pediatric surgery, general and spine neurosurgery, general clinic, and obstetrics.
The hospital also has nearly 2,000 professionals, including doctors, nurses, and nursing technicians, distributed across various sectors, such as pediatric and obstetric emergency, outpatient care, surgical center, obstetric center, diagnostic services, ICUs, and clinical and surgical hospitalization units. This total includes staff from administrative sectors.
The numbers presented are accompanied by a satisfaction rate, which is above 90% among users, reaching 93% in recent months. Humanized treatment, safe medical discharge, and the quality of the structure, both building and equipment, are the points highlighted by users in surveys conducted by the User Service (SAU).
