Em speaking to journalists in Évora, the official admitted that the construction project “has already had a slight delay, but it will be accomplished,” indicating that the new projected completion date for the work is “the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027.”
The completion date has been announced several times, with original plans aiming for the end of 2023 or early 2024, then revised to the end of 2024, February 2025 under the PS Government, and most recently, the first half of 2026 with the Democratic Alliance Government (PSD/CDS-PP).
Speaking after a meeting with the administration of the Alentejo Central Local Health Unit (ULSAC), Ana Paula Martins mentioned that the authorities are working to “create conditions for necessary decisions to be made” regarding the construction.
“It’s true that there have been some challenges,” she acknowledged, noting that “large projects like this always face difficulties, but we are, together with support from the administration council [ULSAC], overcoming them,” she emphasized.
The Minister of Health expressed gratitude to the resigning leaders of this local health unit for their “great willingness” to continue “in their roles until a new administration council (CA) is appointed.”
“The Government is in a transitional phase, and at this moment, it was not easy to make this handover. Thus, this administration council showed tremendous generosity by staying on and continuing the process,” she added.
In late February, the ULSAC administration council resigned in unison, citing disagreements with the Government concerning the responsibility for constructing the new hospital, among other unspecified reasons.
The hospital, initially involving an investment of 200 million euros, is planned to have 360 beds in individual rooms—with potential expansion to 487—11 operating theaters, five pre-operative stations, and 43 recovery stations, among other features.
In March of this year, the Government announced an additional 32 million euros for the Alentejo Central Hospital project, aimed at “price revisions and additional work,” with the contract extended until the end of this year.
