Several hundred people participated, this Saturday afternoon, in the protest outside the Hospital de Portimão against the cuts in services and medical specialties that are already taking place in that health unit.
The demonstration was attended by deputy Paulo Sá (CDU), elected presidents of the Chambers of Portimão (Isilda Gomes, PS) and Lagos (Joaquina Matos, PS), elected councilors from the Portimão autarchy (Ana Figueiredo, PS, and João Vasconcelos, from BE), the vice-president of the Aljezur City Council (José Gonçalves, PS) and the councilor of that same municipality António Carvalho (PS), as well as doctors, nurses and assistants who work in that hospital, and many users.
Holding banners and posters with sayings such as «Don't close the Palliatives, in death there is also dignity», «Down with the CHA, give us back the CHBA», «Against the closure of the Hospital do Barlavento» or even «Health belongs to all, it is a right”, people also demonstrated shouting slogans, always under the watchful eyes of PSP elements, who did not need to intervene, because the protest was peaceful.
This demonstration took place on the same day that a letter from the Board of Directors of Centro Hospitalar do Algarve (CHA), sent on September 4 to the Regional Health Administration to denounce (ie, terminate) the agreement for the Palliative Care Unit of the Hospital de Portimão.
In practice, the letter communicates that, 180 days after that date, the aforementioned Unit, the only one in the Algarve and intended mainly for terminally ill patients, will be closed. like the Sul Informação denounced, in news published on Friday morning.
On that same day, Pedro Nunes, president of the CHA, categorically denied any intention to close that service, a denial that now falls apart as it becomes known that letter.
Note: The photos are from the movement's Facebook page «For Our Health» and others equally shared on social networks.
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