Chronic and structural problems in the Regional Health Service were at the centre of debate at the PS-Madeira parliamentary meetings. Several speakers argued that the new hospital, on its own, will not resolve the system's constraints.
Juan Carvalho, president of the Madeira nurses' union, said many problems have dragged on for years and were not solved when the service moved from a public administrative sector to a public business entity. He added that the service still faces restrictions linked to the region's economic and financial adjustment plan, including shortages of equipment, supplies and staff. He put the current number of nurses at around 2,080, against a target of 2,500.
Lídia Ferreira, of the Independent Doctors' Union, warned that the physical infrastructure will not fix problems tied to human resources, and called for more investment in preventive medicine and family doctors. Mathieu Santos, a mental health nurse at the Marmeleiros Hospital, pointed to rising anxiety and burnout and a lack of networked care in the field.