With the State health service in habitual winter turmoil, a top private hospital is also in the news this week due to discovery of Legionella bacteria, supposedly in its showers and taps.
According to reports, 800 patients have had to be contacted by CUF Descobertas
to see whether they are presenting symptoms.
So far the hospital has 14 patients diagnosed with the disease, two being members of staff.
Clinical director Paulo Gomes is quoted as saying the likelihood of new cases appearing could extend for another three weeks.
Bloco de Esquerda’s Catarina Martins claims this latest outbreak – following a deadly scare late last year in the capital’s Hospital São Francisco Xavier – proves that regular inspections for bacteria must be resurrected.
These periodic inspections were revoked in 2013 (by the last centre-right government), as part of the country’s cost-cutting austerity measures.
Meantime, Cuf Descobertas is undergoing “shock treatments” to its water supplies, while elsewhere in Lisbon the Platform for the Defence of the Health System has been demonstrating in protest to the closure of six iconic hospitals: Curry Cabral, Estefânia, São José, Capuchos, Santa Marta and Maternidade Alfredo Costa.
The reason is the building of the new private-public Hospital de Lisboa Oriental, due to be completed in 2022.
The platform argues that this new hospital cannot possibly take the place of the older units, bearing in mind the SNS health service already “doesn’t have capacity to respond to needs” and Lisboa Oriental will have 400 less beds, 40% less in the way of surgical operating theatres, and at least 2000 less staff.
Spokesperson Fátima Amaral told Lusa, the closures will mean “things getting worse, not better”.
Say reports, the platform’s next step will be to take this fight to parliamentary groups and the health ministry.
natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
