Biggest slice of the 20 million goes to the Centro Hospitalar e Universitário Lisboa Norte
Twenty-five birth blocks will receive 20 million euros from the Government for works and equipment, some of which the expert committee admitted to close, as the Barreiro and Póvoa do Varzim.
According to information released this Friday, March 17, by the executive board of the National Health Service, the largest slice of the 20 million - a sum that has doubled, as announced earlier this month by the Health Minister - goes to the Centro Hospitalar e Universitário Lisboa Norte (Santa Maria Hospital), which will receive more than three million euros.
Among the selected units, of the 33 applications, are the delivery blocks of the Centro Hospitalar Barreiro/Montijo, which will receive 836,954 euros, and the Centro Hospitalar Póvoa Varzim/Vila do Conde (520,688 euros), which were two of the hospitals with gynecology and obstetrics care that the expert commission admitted could close "temporarily or permanently" because they had difficulties in the teams.
When he was heard in January in the Parliamentary Health Commission, Diogo Ayres de Campos, coordinator of the Commission for Monitoring the Response to Gynecology, Obstetrics and Delivery Block Emergencies, said that the report prepared by the experts and delivered to the Ministry of Health was "a technical document" for the creation of the hospital referral network in this area, which would still be submitted for public discussion.
In his statements to Members of Parliament, he explained that at the end of the document there was a list of six hospitals with gynecology and obstetrics care (Castelo Branco, Guarda, Famalicão, Póvoa de Varzim, Barreiro and Vila Franca de Xira) that, due to difficulties in the teams, namely lack of professionals, it was admitted that they could close "temporarily or permanently" if this did not imply additional risks from the technical point of view.
According to information released this Friday by the executive board of the NHS, 25 institutions were selected for this investment, corresponding to a total of 20,661,174.16 euros (with VAT), with 661,174.16 euros "corresponding to external support that the applications obtained, particularly from municipalities and other entities.
The note adds that applications were submitted for projects from 33 hospitals with delivery blocks and stresses that 89% of potentially eligible NHS hospitals applied.
It also mentions that the delivery blocks that did not apply "have projects already started or to be started, with associated funding from other programs.
The values of the proposals corresponded to about 36 million euros, half of which for infrastructure renovation and the rest for medical equipment.
Eligible expenses under this program included the acquisition of equipment for delivery and service blocks, namely studies and projects for infrastructural intervention in delivery blocks and infrastructural interventions to comply with the approved functional programs, explains the note.
After Santa Maria, the units receiving more funds are the Fernando da Fonseca Hospital (Amadora-Sintra), with more than 2.8 million euros, and the Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Central (Maternidade Alfredo da Costa), with almost two million.
Among the various units selected are also the Western Lisbon Hospital Center (São Francisco Xavier Hospital) and the Algarve, each of which will receive more than 1.4 million euros, and the Litoral Alentejano Local Health Unit, with more than 1.1 million.
The local health units of Matosinhos (943.6 thousand euros) and Castelo Branco (over 737 thousand euros), as well as the hospital centers of Oeste (401 thousand), Leiria (467 thousand) and Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho (255 thousand) will also be undergoing works.
The list also includes, among others, the Coimbra Hospital and University Center (587 thousand euros), the Cova da Beira University Hospital Center (219 thousand) and the Garcia de Orta Hospital (380 thousand).
In the statement, the executive board of the SNS states that this "is a serious bet" in the qualification of the infrastructure and respective equipment of delivery blocks and ensures that will be carried out this year.
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