Hospital Abelardo Santos performs over 32,000 surgeries in three years in Icoaraci, Belém
A result that reinforces the commitment of the Government of Pará to guarantee quality public health and safety for the population of Pará
“If it weren't for 'Abelardo Santos', I wouldn't be walking today.” The statement is from patient Mariléa Martins, 55 years old. She underwent a groundbreaking surgery at the Dr. Abelardo Santos Regional Hospital (HRAS) in Icoaraci, a district of Belém, known as endoscopy of the spine. Before the procedure, the self-employed woman suffered from intense pain, and gradually, her legs were losing movement.
The procedure took place last year, and Mariléa continues to reap the benefits. “Before, to move around, I needed the help of another person or a wheelchair. After the operation, with the support of physiotherapy, I started walking again and got rid of the severe back pain. The entire medical and multidisciplinary team deserves congratulations for the work done,” the patient recalled.
As a reference in high-complexity procedures, Hospital Abelardo Santos is the largest public health unit of the Government of Pará. In the last three years (2023, 2024, and 2025), HRAS performed 32,368 surgeries and remains committed to promoting continuous development and improving its care practices, ensuring the population increasingly efficient and safe care.
Hope
Lucas Rafael, 19 years old, underwent a delicate wrist correction surgery. The young man's mother, Alexandra Nobre, 44 years old, spoke about the transformation after the procedure. “He was in pain, and now he has improved, even in the aesthetic part, which bothered him a lot because his wrist was completely bent. With the start of rehabilitation, I am sure he will gain more independence,” she stated.
Cases like Lucas's are part of the Childhood Orthopedic Diseases Program, which offers surgeries and physiotherapy sessions. Pará is the only state in the country to maintain a specific program for this type of treatment, and all procedures are performed at Hospital Abelardo Santos, as it is a reference in the treatment of congenital clubfoot and congenital hand deformities in children.
Surgeries
The unit also performs other types of procedures, including general, thoracic, elective gynecological, mastological, endovascular neurological, general neurological, spinal, obstetric-gynecological, pediatric, urological, and vascular surgeries, among others. In addition to having modern facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, the Surgical Block has a complete team of surgeons and multidisciplinary professionals.
“With each new recovery story, we reinforce our team's purpose, which is to restore quality of life to patients,” emphasizes Vera Nunes, coordinator of the Surgical Center at HRAS. “The volume and complexity of the procedures performed here demonstrate the commitment and competence of our professionals, seeking to provide effective care within the SUS,” she added.
Safety
Given the volume of procedures performed monthly, the Patient Quality and Safety Center (NQSP) at HRAS strengthens, through workshops, the guidelines on the Safe Surgery Protocol with patients. The goal is to ensure that users understand that the entire process is correct and that they feel comfortable questioning if they identify any abnormalities.
As part of these actions, there is also the “Safe Surgery Pit Stop” project, which is inspired by the pits of motor racing competitions, where technical stops are made to check the conditions of the vehicles. In the hospital context, this “technical stop” symbolizes the moment when the patient performs, together with the multidisciplinary team, the pre-operative checklist before proceeding to the procedure.
According to Jocy Guimarães, supervisor of the NQSP at HRAS, the actions serve as preventive barriers against possible incidents. “In addition to motivating the team to check all necessary items for surgical preparation, the initiative promotes greater safety and reduces errors from the patient's admission to the operating room until the moment of hospital discharge, raising quality and safety standards.”
The Dr. Abelardo Santos Regional Hospital has 360 beds distributed among emergency, surgery, clinical hospitalization, Intensive Care Units (ICUs), and Intermediate Care Units (UCIn). The unit offers 11 specialties: vascular, urology, thoracic surgery, gynecology, mastology, endoscopy, pediatrics, general and spinal neurosurgery, general medicine, and obstetrics.
