“On the evening of last Monday, December 1st, a water infiltration, resulting from very adverse weather conditions, rendered part of the Operating Block of this Local Health Unit (Hospital Unit of Póvoa de Varzim) inoperative,” stated a communication from the unit, which also serves the neighboring city of Vila do Conde.
In the same statement, the ULS of Póvoa de Varzim/Vila do Conde (ULSPVVC) explained that “the building’s fragility had been identified, as waterproofing work on the roof was already underway,” noting that the “completion deadline [for the works] is estimated for the end of next week.”
“The infrastructure’s vulnerability stems from the building being almost two centuries old. Due to the ongoing works, the scheduled activity of the operating block was already constrained,” the statement added.
The ULSPVVC noted that “due to the works and the resulting infiltration, appropriate measures were taken to rehabilitate the affected area as quickly as possible, restoring all scheduled activities of the operating block.”
“The board of directors has been monitoring the situation on-site since the first moment,” the communication concluded.
The hospital serves a population of over 150,000 residents from the two municipalities.
Both the Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde units have been frequently undergoing improvement works to address the buildings’ weaknesses, both being centuries-old.
