The mayor of Viseu said today that he is still waiting for an explanation from the Ministry of Health for not complying with the protocol he signed to open the family health unit at the beginning of the year.
“We signed a protocol, even in a bold way by the ex-CEO, who made this decision, and it’s not simple, I don’t know if I’ll make it. [essa decisão]To restore the building, spending 2 million euros “and putting it in the service of health”, Fernando Roas said.
In this regard, he noted that his predecessor – Antonio Almeida Henriques, who died in April 2021, due to complications caused by Covid-19 – “went to the entity that agreed and signed a protocol” with the municipality.
He continued that at that time, they agreed that “when it is ready, which was expected at the end of 2021, the Family Health Unit (USF) will be opened and registered in January 2022.”
“Our turn is over. The building, which is a symbol, Casa das Bocas, is ready, fully equipped, temporary received, and at the moment, we have no movement on the health side. The mayor indicated, I think it is difficult to find people.
Fernando Roas said that “this should have been expected, when the protocol was signed, that there would be difficulty in arranging human resources, because the USF is ready and fully equipped, but it is closed.” [por falta de resposta do Governo]”.
“We have to start respecting the protocol that was freely signed. Fernando Roas emphasized that we are already in the middle of May and there is no sign”, noting that “moreover, everything is not well” in the field of health and “there are no points network” such as USF.
The mayor said that even today he heard doctors “regret the huge influx of hospitals due to the lack of network points” to immediately say “there are points, but they are not open.”
“This is an issue that must be dealt with directly with the Ministry of Health,” the mayor of Viseu told reporters, at the conclusion of today’s meeting of the municipal executive, and therefore, the mayor said, “A meeting with the minister has already been requested, but this is difficult.”
“But it is not difficult for us to come together not only health. I am waiting for other meetings with other ministers to deal with different issues such as IP3 rehabilitation, such as the radiotherapy unit, which should have started and not started, such as railways,” he said.
Fernando Roas insisted that “there is no definition of what needs to be done”, with regard to IP3 rehabilitation, referring for example to the section between Santa Compa dao and Viseu “not yet defined”, and therefore, he said he did not think it would be ready in 2025.
He noted that “I think not all work will be launched until 2025, let alone finished in 2025,” criticizing the “lack of strategy” at the start of rehab for points like Santa Compa d’O, with some spas, Livraria do Mondego, In Binakova, “where traffic practically stops”.
In addition to IP3, Fernando Roas pointed his finger at the remainder of IP5, “which connects to [a cidade] to the A25 motorway and it is in such bad condition that some photos from Ukraine show very damaged roads”, as well as the issue of the railway to Viseu.
“What we have promised is that all the provincial capitals will have a train. We are waiting to know how it is, because we already have a plan for the station and the minister has not rejected our proposal, but, again, there is no definition,” he charged.
In this sense, and bearing in mind that the construction sector in Portugal is “at a standstill and there is work everywhere behind schedule,” Fernando Roas demanded that the government “start by defining what needs to be decided and then justify the unexpected.”
Source: Lusa
