The president of PSD Algarve, Cristóvão Norte, today demanded the advancement of the Algarve Oncological Center, which he says is at risk of being stopped after two entities supervised by the Ministry of Health issued unfavourable opinions to the project.In a statement, the political leader states that the unfavourable opinions come from the Algarve Regional Health Administration (ARS) and from the commission that coordinates studies aimed at the eventual launch of the new central hospital in the Algarve.
“Despite, in March of this year, the public commitment of the Prime Minister, António Costa, to advance the project, we wonder what his word is worth in so many areas of life in the Algarve and the country”, reads his statement.
At the end of June, the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA) awarded the execution and specialty projects for the oncology center, which will allow up to 3000 cancer patients to be treated in a single space per year.
“The process relating to the new Southern Reference Oncological Center threatens to turn into an absurd Kafkaesque plot, such are the complications to which it is subject”, continues Cristóvão Norte.
For the president of the PSD Algarve, it is “absurd” that the Government establishes that a project is to be carried out, and that it is entities that supervise it that prevent the process from progressing, "while five million euros a year are spent to send cancer patients to Spain” .
According to the person responsible, the project already has a guaranteed community contribution of 60% of the total value for the center, which would amount to 14 million euros.
“Absurdly, it already has a scheduled date for it to start operating, at the end of 2024. Surprisingly, the project has already signed a protocol between the Association of Faro/Loulé Municipalities and CHUA, the only entity responsible for the construction, maintenance and exploitation of all resources”, he continues.
According to Cristóvão Norte, this project is vital “to respond to 1,500 patients diagnosed with cancer in the region, ensuring that they can be more quickly diagnosed and treated in the Algarve, putting an end to the ordeal of going to Spain or Lisbon for treatments."
“Some say that the oncology center should be located within the future hospital, others say that it should be next door. It is urgent to solve this problem”, he highlights.
The center is expected to occupy an area of around 5500 square metres and will bring together all the necessary skills in the field of Oncology and Imaging, so that patients do not need to leave the Algarve region to be treated.
Every year, there are around 1,500 cancer patients diagnosed annually in the Algarve and several are referred for examinations and treatments in Lisbon or Seville, respectively, 280 and 200 kilometres from Faro.
Source Lusa
