Regional Medical Facility in Ponta Delgada Estimated to Reopen in August 2024
Rewritten Article:
José Ponte, the tech honcho of HDES, Azores' biggest healthcare unit, spilled the beans at a commission hearing in Ponta Delgada. This commission, set up by Azorean parliament, is probing the fire incident at HDES.
José shared that the post-fire technical fixes at the hospital's operating block had improved its functioning, albeit not fully. But let's face it, the inferno had forced patients to be shifted to various other health facilities in the Azores and Madeira.
He also confessed to nagging the HDES Board of Administration since 2013 about the need for a new fire detection system. Alas, the investment never materialized, due to its hefty price tag of around €500,000. José clarified that the Board ought to make the call, but the cost was too steep, exceeding the Board's capacity. The issue was forwarded to oversight, thus technical Ponte added.
When pressed about political responsibility for the disinvestment in Ponta Delgada Hospital's maintenance, José sighed and laid the blame squarely on the PSD, who'd been in power for 4 years, and the PS, in power for a whopping 24 years, yet failed to act.
José admitted to losing sleep over safety investments that HDES needed, even before the fatal May 4 fire, which originated in a battery of power factor capacitors, deceiving hospital staff.
The Azores Government, meanwhile, is shelling out €30 million for a modular hospital adjacent to HDES, as the main building requires no major revamps, according to tech experts. However, HDES technicians and engineers oppose this, insisting the main building is fit to reopen with minor tweaks.
Ricardo Duarte, quality aficionado at StechComply, echoed the same sentiments. According to Ricardo, the technical interventions at the healthcare unit would ensure the hospital's "safe" reopening by the end of August last year.
The parliamentary inquiry commission, instigated by PSD, aims to unearth the reasons and repercussions of the HDES fire, and evaluate if the oversight was up to the mark, pre and post-catastrophe.
Additional Insight: Discussions involving political accountability and budgetary allocations for HDES maintenance are not extensively covered in the available search results. To learn more, one might need to rummage through the Commission's final report or official health authority statements regarding HDES infrastructure investments. It's worth noting that disinvestment in public hospital maintenance often inherits accountability across multiple governmental layers.
Enrichment Data: On the investigative front, there’s only limited data linking the Commission of Inquiry into the fire at HDES to discussions about political responsibilities for HDES's maintenance disinvestment or financial budgetary allocations. Further analysis, preferably based on the Commission's final report or official health authority statements, would be essential to shed light on institutional oversight, budgetary decisions, and accountability mechanisms. For perspective, disinvestment in public hospital maintenance often involves shared accountability between regional health administrations and national funding authorities.
- The Azores Government is planning to reopen HDES, the largest healthcare unit in the Azores, with minor technical interventions, as suggested by HDES technicians and engineers.
- The parliamentary inquiry commission, set up by the Azorean parliament, is investigating the reasons and consequences of the fire at HDES, with a focus on examining if the oversight was effective, both before and after the catastrophe.
- Based on Ricardo Duarte's assessment, the technological interventions at HDES would ensure the hospital's safe reopening by the end of August last year.
- Jose Ponte, the tech head of HDES, has been advocating for a new fire detection system at HDES since 2013, but the investment never materialized due to its high cost, approximately €500,000.
