The Government Council convened in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, to authorize expenditure by the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service for the purchase of five intervention vehicles and 12 Type B ambulances for rescue and patient assistance. Volunteer firefighters play a crucial role on each island in emergency response and public protection, handling critical missions such as accident and disaster rescue, firefighting, and pre-hospital emergency medical assistance. Therefore, modern and functional technical means are essential, necessitating the replacement of a wide range of rescue and assistance vehicles.
The acquisition of the five intervention vehicles is estimated to have a financial impact of 1,886,792.45 euros (excluding VAT), and the purchase of ambulances will cost 1,037,735.00 euros (excluding VAT).
The Regional Government ratified actions by the Regional Secretary of Health and Social Security regarding contracts for goods and services following the May 4, 2024, fire that affected the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Ponta Delgada. The urgent need to restore emergency healthcare capacity led to the direct contracting of equipment supplies and installations for the modular hospital supporting that medical facility.
Additional contracts were signed for acquiring essential goods and services not covered by the previously approved resolution for equipping and operating the modular hospital. These actions are now ratified by the Secretariat.
The coalition’s regional executive approved resolutions allowing the Agriculture and Food Secretariat to provide financial support in agriculture, livestock, rural development, and management of forest and hunting resources. Non-profit regional associations have a budgetary limit of 4 million euros while cooperative organizations have a limit of 2.7 million euros.
Approval was also given for expenses and contracting work on the Nossa Senhora do Rosário subdivision infrastructure in the parish of Capelas, Ponta Delgada, under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, with a base price of 2.7 million euros (excluding VAT).
Among other decisions, the Azorean Government authorized an urban operation to build a four-star tourist apartment complex in the parish of São José, Ponta Delgada, with a capacity of 98 beds. Additionally, they renewed programs for tuition fee support and scholarship allocation for higher education students.
