The center for hosting transferred patients “will be handed over to the Cape Verde Embassy in Portugal, fully renovated and modernized, becoming a benchmark in accommodating citizens” sent from the archipelago for medical treatment, “ensuring better conditions of stay, dignity, and security,” stated the government.
The ceremony is scheduled for 15:00 in Prior Velho, Lisbon, and will be led by the Minister of Family, Inclusion and Social Development, Fernando Elísio Freire.
The building, acquired by the State of Cape Verde through the National Institute of Social Security (INPS) in 2012, now offers 23 double rooms, with a capacity to accommodate up to 46 people.
The management officially passes to the embassy under a cooperation protocol with the INPS, allowing for a “more efficient and humanized response” to the needs of transferred citizens.
The embassy will be responsible for hiring staff, providing services, maintenance, and meeting legal requirements, also ensuring coordination with hospitals, health services, and support associations.
The center will be used exclusively for hosting transferred citizens, with at least 50% of the beds reserved for beneficiaries of the mandatory social protection system.
The INPS ensures the renovation, equipment, and furnishing of the building, including a video surveillance system, and will maintain a presence in Portugal for administrative and institutional support.
“The inauguration of this new space represents a social and institutional milestone in supporting Cape Verdean citizens in Portugal and translates into a concrete investment in solidarity and social protection,” stated the government, noting that the center strengthens historical cooperation ties in the health sector between the two countries, established since the 1976 agreement.
In July, the Minister of Health, Jorge Figueiredo, announced that Cape Verde has tripled the number of medical transfers to Portugal between 2023 and the first quarter of 2025, due to the internal lack of response in specialties such as cardiology, oncology, and ophthalmology.
“We have observed a sharp and continuous increase in transfers abroad, particularly to Portugal. The number provided for in the agreement is 300 per year, but the limit has been exceeded,” stated Jorge Figueiredo, revealing that currently about 900 patients are being transferred annually.
In the fields of cardiology, oncology, and ophthalmology alone, the cost of these transfers was 627 million escudos (about 5.68 million euros).
As of the first quarter of this year, 396 patients were awaiting transfer abroad.
The minister had already announced that Cape Verde intends to train doctors in six specialties starting next year to reduce the dependency on foreign professionals and international missions.
