A «very fruitful» visit and one that Manuel de Lemos ended with already wanting to return. The president of the National Secretariat of the União das Misericórdias Portuguesas was, on the 26th and 27th of February, in the Algarve, and promises to return soon.
On his tour of the region, Manuel de Lemos visited the Misericórdias of Lagoa, Mexilhoeira Grande, Monchique, Tavira, São Brás de Alportel and also Boliqueime.
In Lagoa, for example, the person in charge met the renovation project of the old Hospital, while in Monchique the new governing bodies took office until 2027.
They were two rich days, from which the president of the National Secretariat came out with «pathways and clues for us to develop in the future».
«The visit allowed us to see on the spot the problems, ambitions, projects and difficulties» that these institutions face, according to the official.
«Concerns vary even because there are projects that go deeper in time. We saw mercy with projects that are in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), but that are in the waiting phase because they were in the Overbooking, but we were also in Tavira to see the work on the cultural part, on the recovery of the Misericórdia Church», he told journalists, at the end of this regional tour.
The visits also included a meeting with Margarida Flores, president of the District Center for Social Security, where an assessment of the cooperation between the two entities was made.
Manuel de Lemos also highlighted the fact that the meeting of the Regional Secretariat, which took place in Monchique on the 27th, had a strong turnout: of the 23 Charities in the Algarve, only one was absent.
«I felt a very warm union and that is very important. We are aware that we live in times of great difficulty, with inflation, but our strength to help those in need is stronger than that », she guaranteed.
«The manner and joy with which they were and the transparency with which they expressed their concerns is something that I remember», added Manuel de Lemos.
On this visit, the president of the National Secretariat also met with Patrícia Seromenho, provider of Misericórdia de Albufeira, but also with Santa Casa de Boliqueime, which was grappling with a controversy due to the alleged negligence of an employee in the treatment of an elderly woman.
In view of this, the leader of the National Secretariat guaranteed that they will "try to understand" why this case happened.
For Armindo Vicente, president of the Regional Secretariat of the União das Misericórdias Portuguesas, having Manuel de Lemos visit the Algarve was «a redoubled joy».
«He is someone who follows issues and concerns very closely, but it is not every day that we receive the president of the União das Misericórdias here in the Algarve», he said.
This was a «full program» and that, in the view of Armindo Vicente, also showed the «unity of the Algarvian Misericórdias».
«We make an effort and work to be very present in the institutions, supporting them in what they most need, whether organic or legal. This requires a lot of availability, but it shows the cohesion that we have had, which I like very much and for which we work", he acknowledged.
At the end of this visit, Manuel de Lemos left a certainty: his return to the Algarve is near.
«I take from here the desire to return. Many mercies have asked me to go and see their projects and I will be back soon », she concluded.
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