Several health extensions in the Algarve are going to close "gradually" from the month of October, as part of the reorganization of health units in the region, but for now, as a test.
The announcement was made this Friday by the member of the Regional Health Administration of the Algarve Miguel Madeira, who guaranteed that there will only be closures when it is verified that there are improvements in the service to the population.
“What will exist is a gradual process. In a first phase, we will test the response that we intend to give with the transfer of users of some extensions to the Health Centres», revealed the member of the ARS Algarve administration, who represented the entity, due to the absence of Martins dos Santos, who has already resigned, but remains in office.
The change will only become definitive “if we verify that there are quality gains for the populations”, assured Miguel Madeira. “After this phase, there will be an evaluation and if it is verified that the advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages, we will, of course, be open to finding other solutions”, he announced.
“The question that needs to be addressed is: to provide closer support, limited to a day or two a week, or to provide users with a family doctor, five days a week. It has advantages and disadvantages. This can only be done if there is also transport», said the Minister of Health Paulo Macedo, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Long-Term Continuous Care and Maintenance Unit at Azinhal, a ceremony he presided over.
Admitting that the health extension of Azinhal, a location where a Continued Care unit had just opened, will be one of the targets, the member of the Government warned that the services will be "maintained or not, depending on the population's casuistry". «I'm certainly not going to keep extensions open that, for example, serve one or two people. If there is transport, people even get better», he considered.
"On the other hand, if it turns out that the closure causes the isolation of some of these people, the ARS is available to consider what will happen next", he added. How much the PS accusations that the Government was postponing the announcement of the health units to close in the region until after the municipal elections, Paulo Macedo just said, laughing, that “when a minister comes here, there must be criticism”.
Basically, the minister said, it is a question of trying to understand "whether the benefits are greater than the inconveniences". "This is being studied, but it will always go towards a greater rationalization of resources", he added. But, guaranteed Paulo Macedo, this reorganization, namely the creation of the Centro Hospitalar do Algarve, will not cause «the closure of any Hospital in the Algarve».
Recalling that the Government has been investing in Hospitals in the region, namely in the Faro, Paulo Macedo said that one of the advantages of the administrative junction of health units will be the internal mobility of doctors who will be able, for example, to «give consultations in faro and in Portimão”, on different days of the week.
Estevens trusts service improvement, Amaral distrusts
The mayor of Castro Marim José Estevens was confident that the Algarve's ARS will find a solution “that will be the best for the populations”. Despite the prospect of closing two health extensions in the municipality, one in Azinhal and the other in Odeleite, the mayor believes that a solution will be found that will bring gains in access and in the quality of services.
An opinion that is not shared by the mayor of the neighboring municipality of Alcoutim Francisco Amaral, a municipality that has already had to deal with the closure of this type of health unit. «We had this experience in Alcoutim during the time of minister Correia de Campos and it ended up not solving anything. On the contrary, it harmed people's lives,” he said.
The outgoing president of the Alcoutim Chamber and PSD candidate for Castro Marim warned that "people are not numbers" and that "the Algarve mountains have particularities that have to be taken into account." “Even in psychological terms, it is important in this proximity, that people know that there is a doctor nearby”, considered Francisco Amaral.
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