Miguel Albuquerque said today that the new Central and University Hospital of Madeira may become significantly more expensive because construction materials and labour have risen sharply in recent years. Speaking on the sidelines of the renewable gases conference in Funchal, he said the project will be reviewed and the public tender updated to match current market conditions. He added that the Regional Government is preparing a new cost estimate, but no final figure has yet been set for the revised investment. The President also noted that the Government of the Republic remains responsible for 50% of the project funding, while the overall scale of the work now requires a technical reassessment. To illustrate the pressure on the sector, he pointed to the Porto Santo health unit, whose estimated cost has moved from around 12 million euros to nearly 33 million euros. Miguel Albuquerque denied that the hospital works have stopped, saying the project is in a transition phase before entering the third phase, which will focus on interior finishes and coatings. He insisted that the process is continuing normally, even though financial and procedural adjustments are still being made.
