Chega Madeira has criticised SESARAM after about 30 patients who had been discharged from Dr Nélio Mendonça Hospital were moved last Friday to the basement of Dr João de Almada Hospital. Party deputy Hugo Nunes called the decision “inhumane” and said it exposed serious weaknesses in planning across the regional health network. He argued that the move showed a lack of respect for patient dignity, especially after earlier criticism and intervention from the Order of Nurses. Mr Nunes said that sending vulnerable patients to a basement that the Nurses’ Union has said does not meet minimum conditions reflects a Regional Government “adrift.” He added that the shortage of vacancies in the long-term care network should not be solved by “hiding” elderly and infirm patients in hospital basements. The article says the transfer has fuelled debate, with the Regional Government presenting it as a practical step to keep hospital flow moving. Critics, however, see it as a sign of systemic failure, driven by overcrowded acute beds, limited social care capacity, and delays while the new central hospital is still under development.
