Alcoutim, Aljezur, Castro Marim, Faro, São Brás de Alportel, Silves, Olhão and VRSA are the eight municipalities in the Algarve that have not yet accepted the transfer of competences in the health area. AMAL – Algarve Intermunicipal Community will now accompany the negotiation of the process.
This decision was taken at a meeting held this Friday, May 6, at AMAL's headquarters, in Faro, and to which Paulo Morgado, president of the Regional Health Administration of the Algarve, was invited.
According to AMAL, «this decision is intended to overcome the impasse in which the process finds itself», since «the transfer of competences in the area of health is a matter that has caused many concerns to the mayors of the Algarve».
During the meeting, António Pina, president of AMAL, recalled that “the mayors have unanimously assumed the transfer of competences and their implementation on the ground, not least because they defend that these must be exercised locally”.
However, with regard to transfers in the health area, the topic is not so well accepted, mainly due to three issues: human resources, funds for maintenance services and the rehabilitation of health centers and extensions.
António Pina, who is also mayor of Olhão, adds that these are values that «fall far short of what are normal needs for the proper functioning of health services».
These are concerns and reservations that the president of the ARS said he understood, “not least because this process is quite complex and each municipality has its specificities”, but underlines that they must be overcome.
"What is defended and intended is that no municipality is harmed in this process of transferring competences and that this does not imply financial burdens that may overburden the budgets of municipalities", he explained.
Paulo Morgado also guaranteed «all possible collaboration and help» on the part of ARS Algarve, and the next step is to discuss all the needs and concerns of the eight municipalities, in the respective Monitoring Committees, with the presence of ARS and AMAL, to that it is possible, together, to think of solutions that resolve the impasse and that a consensus can be reached in this process.
For the rest, the decisions that are taken for these municipalities will also be applied to the remaining municipalities that have already accepted the transfer of competences in the health area.
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