The health service of the autonomous region of Madeira confirmed on Sunday the reinforcement of health centres, with all health care “guaranteed” for users affected by the fire that broke out on Wednesday.
The regional institution confirmed in a statement that “the health service of the autonomous region of Madeira announces that all health care is provided to users affected by the fire that broke out on August 14.”
The health department (Sesaram) adds that the centres in the affected municipalities have been reinforced with health professionals and are “fully operational”.
According to the memo, the Corral das Freiras Health Center (CSCF), in the municipality of Camara de Lobos, opened on Saturday and will continue to operate “without interruption” until Monday, the day it resumes its normal operating hours.
Since its opening, the CSCF has received 21 services and performed two transfers to the Dr. Nelio Mendonça Hospital in Funchal.
The Urgent Care Service (SAU) at the Ribeira Brava Health Centre received eight users with reduced mobility and three users related to the fire on Saturday and Sunday.
On the other hand, two users were admitted to the SAU at the Camara de Lobos Health Center on Sunday.
“Dr. Nelio Mendonça Hospital is qualified and equipped with the technical means and human resources necessary to respond to urgent and emerging cases,” highlights Sesaram.
Given the complexity of the situation, several teams have been activated, says the service, which concludes the statement by thanking “the exceptional work done by all healthcare professionals”.
Madeira is experiencing a major fire that broke out on Wednesday morning in Serra de Agua in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, in an area that is difficult to access, and then spread to the neighboring municipality of Camara de Lobos.
At least 160 people were evacuated from their homes due to the fire in the two municipalities, a source from the Regional Secretariat of Health and Civil Protection told Lusa on Sunday.
According to the latest official balance from the Regional Civil Protection Service, at 08:30, three fronts were active, in the areas of Curral das Freiras and Faja das Galinhas, in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, and in Serra de Água.
120 members from all the fire departments in the region are fighting the fire, supported by 43 vehicles and the archipelago’s air force. From Sunday onwards, the region will also have the support of 76 members of the National Joint Force, the Emergency and Civil Protection Authority.
The Regional Emergency Plan for Civil Protection of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (PREPCRAM) has been activated to respond to “the seriousness of the situation experienced by the country”.
All of Madeira is under orange warning from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) for hot weather, while the island of Porto Santo is at yellow level.
A yellow warning, the least severe on a scale of three, is issued by the IPMA when there is a risk situation for certain activities depending on the meteorological situation, while an orange warning (level two) is issued when there is a moderate to high meteorological risk situation.
