Movimento Determinante has raised the alarm over what is calls the “progressive deterioration” of São Brás de Alportel’s Centre of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, once considered a benchmark for rehabilitation care in southern Portugal.
In a statement, the association – representing people with disabilities, their caregivers and families – accuses authorities of neglect and mismanagement that have left the centre in an increasingly rundown state since it lost autonomy in 2017, when it was integrated into the Algarve’s hospital group at the time, CHUA, now the ULS Algarve.
“The degradation of the building is glaring. There have been summers without air conditioning, winters without heating, the therapeutic pool is completely run down, and the flooring in some corridors is so damaged that it poses a risk of falls for those who walk there. The bathrooms are constantly breaking down, and on one of the inpatient floors, where there were already too few, half of them are now out of order,” the association laments.
The number of beds at the centre has also been reduced and never recovered due to staff shortages, Movimento Determinante points out.
“It is also worth noting the irony of having inaugurated a driving simulator that cannot be used because the administration refuses to authorise the payment of a few extra hours to the centre’s technicians and doctors,” it says.
The situation at the centre has been worsening ever since the ULS Algarve health authority was created, the association claims, accusing those responsible of using the centre for years to accommodate overflow patients from Faro Hospital. “Although the administration repeatedly claims that it is very difficult to hire professionals for CMR Sul, the ward for Faro Hospital patients, which occupies half of the second floor of the centre, is fully staffed with all the nurses and assistants it needs, including a head nurse. So why is it impossible to hire nurses and assistants for the CMR Sul rehabilitation unit?” the association questions.
Staff shortages are commonplace at the centre: the inpatient gym reportedly has just 14 physiotherapists – nearly half the number it should – while occupational therapy operates with barely a third of its required staff. As a result, patients receive only two to three hours of rehabilitation per day “when they should be receiving much more.”
“The lack of investment and the poor management by successive administrations since 2017, and now by ULS Algarve, are responsible for the deterioration and decline of the service provided by the centre, which is extremely important for the populations of the Algarve and Alentejo who rely on it, and which was once recognised for the excellence of its service. It is sad,” Movimento Determinante says.
“What has happened to us and our families (leaders and members of the Movimento Determinante association) could happen to anyone: accidents, being run over, falls, strokes, brain infections, degenerative diseases, cancer,” the group says, adding that it will continue fighting to ensure the centre returns to its glory days.
