«There cannot be the faintest idea of dismembering any health unit in the Algarve!». This is how the Mayor of Aljezur José Amarelinho illustrates the position of AMAL – Algarve Intermunicipal Community, which unanimously decided to “require the reopening of the health extensions that have already been closed” in Castro Marim and Alcoutim and ensure that no more closes.
This is the position contained in a document approved yesterday by the AMAL Intermunicipal Council on the quality of health services provided to the Algarve population. the motion, although devoted largely to the problems experienced in hospitals in the Algarve, also does not forget the recent closing of units in the Sotavento, much contested by the local population.
The body that brings together the 16 mayors of the Algarve showed solidarity with their colleagues from Alcoutim and Castro Marim. A position that will be transmitted in person to Health Minister Paulo Macedo, at a meeting that a delegation of Algarve mayors hopes to hold «soon» and which has also been advanced to the president of the Regional Health Administration of the Algarve João Moura Reis , in a meeting he held yesterday with the local authorities.
João Moura Reis, in conversation with the Sul Informação, did not want to commit to a final decision on the reopening, or not, of the extensions that were closed in Vaqueiros (Alcoutim), Odeleite and Azinhal (Castro Marim) in 2013. At the moment, there is no decision on this matter, although João Moura dos Reis has stated that the evaluation process “should be concluded, maybe even this month, at the latest by mid-February”. He admitted, even so, that if «the situations change and are frankly improved» there is a possibility of reversing the situation.
following strong protests from the population, ARSA agreed to reassess the decision and create a working group, with the participation of the affected municipalities, to determine whether the situation can be reversed and in what way.
As stated by both the mayor of Castro Marim Francisco Amaral and the mayor of Alcoutim Osvaldo Gonçalves, the municipalities are willing to contribute financially, so that a solution can be found, and this should even go through there.
At issue is the improvement of facilities and the installation of a computer system, served by a high-speed Internet connection, which allows the Health Extensions to be connected to the system that connects all the Health Centers in the region.
Lack of material in the Health Centers are «very specific situations»
Cases of lack of material in Health Centers in the Algarve, like the ones our newspaper revealed in December, are “very punctual situations” and will be resolved as soon as ARSA is informed of the shortage, “within a week or two at the latest”. The guarantee was given by João Moura dos Reis to the Sul Informação and it will have been repeated to the Algarve's mayors at yesterday's meeting.
Situations of lack of material are not due to financing difficulties, he assured, but rather to a logistical issue. “Despite being here for a short time [as president of ARSA], we have been careful in the constitution of minimum stocks that allow for fluidity, so that there are always resources,” he said.
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