An image showing a severely deteriorated corridor at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology (IPO) in Lisbon has been circulating on social media for several days.
The photo depicts moldy stains, unpainted walls, and a flooded floor.
The picture is believed to have been taken by the father of a patient and then sent to Ricardo Costa, CEO of Grupo Bernardo da Costa, who subsequently highlighted the issue on his Facebook page.
“The photograph could be of an abandoned building, but it is not! It is at the IPO in Lisbon,” stated the business executive.
Ricardo Costa further shared the complaint he received: “This corridor is at the IPO Lisbon, providing access for children from the day hospital and the UTM to the central pavilion for imaging exams and hospitalization, and from the radiotherapy pavilion to the day hospital. It was through these unsanitary tunnels that my son had to travel from the transplant unit to the central pavilion for an urgent ultrasound, when he had zero immunity due to the transplant. Passing through corridors in this condition, amid a rush of patients! They only managed to cover my son from head to toe.”
“The corridor walls, with the decay-ridden lining, smell of mold, and it rains as if outside. How long will the IPO administration maintain these third-world-like conditions? It is time to act! Strong reasons make strong actions,” wrote Álvaro Jordão de Sousa.
The post, shared a day ago, has already garnered 22,000 reactions, nearly 6,000 comments, and 7,000 shares.
“Various Structural Interventions” Underway
Notícias ao Minuto contacted IPO Lisbon to verify the image’s authenticity and request a response to the complaint. The health institution confirmed the photo was taken in one of the institute’s corridors, assuring that it is only exceptionally used by patients and that it will soon be subject to intervention.
“IPO Lisbon has an underground passage linking various buildings, mainly for internal movement of professionals and equipment. Occasionally, it may also be used by patients to provide a path more protected from rain, a choice that, given the current conditions of this infrastructure, should only be made when deemed the most suitable solution,” explained the institute.
According to a statement issued in response to Notícias ao Minuto’s inquiries, the current Board of Directors, in place since March, recognized the need for several structural interventions at the IPO Lisbon campus and is currently in the process of acquiring the necessary resources for remodeling this area.
“The state of the facilities and the technological park at IPO Lisbon led the Board of Directors to submit applications for PRR funds and allocation of own revenues in recent months for the requalification of various healthcare areas and modernization of heavy medical equipment. The relaunch of the project for the construction of the new IPO Lisbon building, already recognized as a structural investment in the State Budget for 2026, was also prepared,” the statement adds.
