The Left Block demanded the reopening of the radiotherapy unit at Hospital do Espírito Santo in Évora, warning that cancer patients in the region are being forced to travel to Faro, Santarém or Lisbon to receive treatment since the suspension of the service on June 1st. The District Coordinating Commission of Évora of the party expressed "enormous concern" about the situation of "hundreds of patients" affected.
The suspension was due to the replacement of the two treatment equipment units and linear accelerators, in a public investment estimated at four million euros under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The service has been concessioned to the company Joaquim Chaves Oncologia S.A. for several years, and the Local Health Unit of Central Alentejo launched a tender in February for a new concession, for four years renewable, worth 18,658,209 euros.
The tender was won by Altrys Portugal, a Spanish-origin company that had previously held the concession, but ended up being annulled, allegedly by the Court of Auditors, without the grounds for the annulment being known. The radiotherapy technicians have not yet seen their contracts with Joaquim Chaves S.A. affected, but do not know their near future.
BE argues that the concession to private entities does not guarantee the smooth operation of the service and challenges the president of the board of directors of ULSAC to promote the reopening of the unit so that it fulfills "autonomously" its responsibilities. The party also asks that the administration inform "in a transparent manner" patients, workers and the public about the measures it intends to adopt.
