The former administrator of the Ponta Delgada hospital, Vasco Viveiros, asserted during a parliamentary inquiry commission meeting on the HDES fire in Ponta Delgada that no document was presented to the board of directors for validation regarding the modular hospital solution. Viveiros emphasized, “If there had been, I would have voted against it.” His comments were in response to questions from Azorean parliament members who referenced statements from Mário Fernandes, the managing partner of the company that installed the modular hospital in the Azores, who noted that no hospital board member opposed the decision.
Viveiros, appointed by the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) following the May 4 fire but relieved from his duties by the end of last year due to alleged disagreements, expressed regret that the choice for a modular hospital was made without considering the HDES. He stressed that the fire’s aftermath, initially leading the regional government to declare a state of calamity, was not as severe as initially thought.
“Initially, the fire damage was exaggerated. I’m not saying it was done in bad faith, but amidst the chaos of evacuating people [from the hospital], there was a lack of composure to realize that no decisions should be made before assessing the damages,” Viveiros explained.
António Vasco Viveiros, a former PSD-elected Azorean parliament member, highlighted that the main hospital building in Ponta Delgada is operating at nearly 90% capacity. He urged parliament members to visit the facility and assess its actual conditions, clarifying, “The hospital is open across the board; only four wards are closed.” He urged lawmakers to “visit the hospital, see what is operational, and request permission to unlock and visit what is closed,” emphasizing that the notion that the region’s largest healthcare facility is entirely shut is false.
During the parliamentary session, Viveiros also expressed solidarity with former HDES president Manuela Gomes de Menezes, deeming accusations of her altering board meeting records as unjust. “I express total repudiation for these claims and hope the truth comes out. It is serious and must be investigated. Dr. Manuela announced her intention to hire legal representation, and any of us would do the same,” he emphasized.
The inquiry commission into the HDES fire, established at the PSD caucus’s insistence in the Regional Assembly, schedules six more hearings for the following week. The fire that broke out on May 4 at HDES on São Miguel Island originated from “power factor correction batteries” and was battled for approximately seven hours by firefighters, necessitating the transfer of all hospitalized patients to other healthcare facilities, including those outside the region. The fire damage is estimated to exceed 24 million euros.
