The José Lourenço Viegas Hospital, in São Brás de Alportel, celebrates Sunday, November 6th, 50 years of existence that will be celebrated with a solemn session, at 11:30 am, in the former Hospital building that now houses the Health Centre, and with a get-together, on the 7th of November, about the history of this Hospital, at 18:30 pm, in the Old Gallery of the Museu do Trajo.
In addition to these initiatives, an informative street exhibition will be exposed to the community, to tell the story of this building which «was a very important milestone in the construction of a municipality and a more solidary and happier society», defends the City of São Brás.
The José Lourenço Viegas Hospital was inaugurated on November 6, 1966. It was this «illustrious São Brasense», as the local authority calls it, which supported «the construction of the building and equipping it with all the necessary equipment» .
Even so, the first steps towards the realization of this project had already been taken in 1923, when João Viegas Louro, Prior João Rodrigues de Passos Pinto and Virgílio Passos formed a “Founding Commission” with other personalities to raise funds and subsidies. Such efforts would prove to be inglorious and, since then, many other initiatives have been carried out by the people.
«Hope was reborn later, when José Lourenço Viegas took over the entire construction process of the future hospital building, a project signed by the architect Carlos Ramos, one of the pioneers of modern architecture in Portugal and winner of the Valmor Prize, a distinction in the field of architecture. The first stone was laid on April 30, 1961 and the contract was handed over to José António Fradinho», explains the City Council of São Brás.
On the opening day of the Hospital, the then President of the Republic Américo Tomás traveled to São Brás de Alportel. José Lourenço Viegas himself was also awarded the insignia of the Order of Merit by the Admiral in 1966.
«The construction of a Hospital in São Brás de Alportel, in the second half of the XNUMXth century, brought greater autonomy, safety, health and well-being to the São Brasense population, with the achievement of greater proximity and better access to services. health care, an essential service for a better quality of life», says the City Council of São Brás.
The UCC Al-Portellus Community Care Unit currently operates in the José Lourenço Viegas Hospital building, managed by the Algarve Regional Health Administration.
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