In politics, decentralization consists of the transfer of power from the central government to various authorities that are not subordinated to the hierarchical level. In a decentralized state, local governments can decide independently according to their competences.
The issue of the appointment of the CEO of Health comes to this end. Mr. Minister of Health – Dr. Manuel Pizarro – revealed that this position must fit in with the principle of Decentralization of powers, in the name of greater territorial cohesion and national justice. I absolutely agree.
The chosen personality was Dr. Fernando Araújo, well-known physician and reputed director of Hospital do Porto. Not knowing the medical field, based on the information that the various players this area have declared, it seems to me a justified choice. The SNS in Porto is one of the best organized and efficient in the country.
The rest I don't understand anymore. The Minister stated that the powers of this new body will pass to Porto, in the name of decentralization.
The Algarve, Alentejo and Setúbal are the regions that most suffer from a lack of professionals, weak public investment, lack of efficient management, taking into account official data on this matter.
The valences must be concentrated in the regions that most need it, and in the case of health, these are the aforementioned regions that are most in need. Why not install Faro🇧🇷 Beja or Setúbal? The argument that the management can be anywhere in the national territory is the same, it does not reap because of its contradiction. That way, they never left Lisbon!!!
Decentralization must be a good principle, of justice and national cohesion, and cannot be biased by personal interests or the petty interests of regional farms. Dividing powers between the two great national metropolises, Lisbon and Porto, is to feed a bicephaly of purely regional interests, and not to carry out a true territorial decentralization.
Author Armando Barata is an economist, with card number 15970 and a specialist in tax matters
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