PSD deputies Mendes Bota, Pedro Roque, Elsa Cordeiro and Cristóvão Norte ask the Government to continue supporting the Integrated Masters in Medicine at the University of Algarve.
For this, the parliamentarians elected by the Algarve region addressed a set of questions to the Ministry of Education and Science.
The deputies want to know if the Government intends to "comply with the Contract-Program for the operation of the Integrated Masters in Medicine and transfer the missing funds for the years 2011 and 2012" and if it will "reprogramming the Contract-Program as per the conditions requested by the University of the Algarve».
According to Mendes Bota, Pedro Roque, Elsa Cordeiro and Cristóvão Norte, this reprogramming is intended to avoid “a scenario of financial disruption and more budgetary constraints already foreseen for the year 2013”.
The parliamentarians recall that, in September 2009, «a Program-Contract was signed between the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and the University of the Algarve to financially support the functioning of the Integrated Master's in Medicine, with an execution foreseen for each a period of four years, ending on 31 December 2012».
The purpose of the Program-Contract was to finance the installation of the Integrated Master's Degree in Medicine, «a course much sought after in the region and by the University of Algarve itself, given the strong training component being carried out in local Health Centres, taking advantage of existing resources in the Algarve , and investing in the training of future doctors, who are so necessary in order to meet the existing health needs of local populations».
The deputies added that the Contract-Program provides for total funding of approximately 5,4 million euros, "which should have been distributed in stages over the four years of the programme."
However, “in 2009, the amount foreseen was fully transferred and in 2010 it was partially transferred, but covering that year only the corresponding expenses with the medical course”.
For the years 2011 and 2012, however, “no funds have yet been transferred”.
«Given the current situation of our country, which is being the object of a financial assistance program by the Troika, given the budgetary restrictions imposed in 2012 on Universities in our country, as they have to reduce their expenses by 8,5% , the University of Algarve, very responsibly, requested a rescheduling of the Program-Contract, maintaining the overall value of the same, requesting the processing of the transfer for 2012, but extending its execution to 2013 and 2014», also says Mendes Bota , Pedro Roque, Elsa Cordeiro and Cristóvão Norte in their application.
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