The Onofre Lopes University Hospital in Natal, Brazil, has opened a Day Hospital with 12 beds.

Officially opened on 22 September, the Day Hospital is for patients who require medical care but do not need to stay in the hospital overnight.

To help free up beds for patients who require overnight stays, each of the facility's beds has a maximum stay length of 12 hours.

The facility will offer a variety of medical procedures and treatments, including rheumatoid arthritis therapy and various surgeries.

Ebserh Network healthcare director Lumena Furtado said: “A hospital like this is complex not only because of its size, but because of its role in the health system, science and technology.

“Therefore, it will be a huge challenge for all of us to continue this century-old work. We are making an effort to get to know all the hospitals in the network up close. 

“We also discuss strategic planning with local teams. In the case of Huol, President Lula released R$40m from the PAC for this institution and we are discussing these investments, a significant volume in a hospital that has a good structure and is advancing.”

The Onofre Lopes University Hospital has been part of the Ebserh Network, a group of federal university hospitals in Brazil, since 2013.

The hospital received an investment of BRL1.17m ($0.24m) for this facility.

It has also appointed a new superintendent, Dr Eliane Pereira, who is the first woman to hold this position at the hospital.

Dr Pereira has worked as an intensive care physician at the hospital since 1995 and previously served as coordinator of its general adult intensive care unit.

Speaking about her appointment, she said: “It is a great responsibility to follow in the pioneering footsteps that built this hospital.”