With the delivery this afternoon of two new ambulances for the transport of non-urgent patients, the SESARAM fleet now has a total of 18 ambulances. However, six of these vehicles are currently ‘parked’ due to breakdowns, meaning that only 12 of these type A2 vehicles, for transporting patients on stretchers or seated, are operational.
The problems affecting a third of SESARAM’s ambulance fleet were not discussed in the speeches by Pedro Ramos, Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection, and Miguel Albuquerque, President of the Regional Government, this afternoon, at the Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital, at the ceremony to hand over the two ambulances, an investment that amounted to 114,700 euros (excluding VAT).
The two leaders took the opportunity to emphasize the Government’s investment in the area of Health.
“We are improving the humanisation of services with regard to patient transportation”, stated Pedro Ramos, highlighting that SESARAM “is responsible for 30% of these transports”, with the remaining 70% of these transports being provided by taxis and a private company.
“With the acquisition of these two ambulances, the SESARAM fleet now has 18 ambulances in total,” declared the Secretary responsible for Health. He did not say that six of these ambulances are “out of action.” He simply stressed that with the two vehicles delivered “we will improve this entire transport system a little.”
He did not have the same reservation when referring to the rejection of the Regional Budget (OR2025). “The new budget of the Regional Government included the acquisition of eight more ambulances that will have to wait”, due to the non-approval of OR2025.
This constraint is transversal to the governmental action of the Regional Government, now in management. “There is a whole series of intentions and commitments that the Regional Government had already made to its population”, he maintained.
It is also an opportunity to emphasize that the planned investment in the area of Health and Civil Protection amounts to 553 million euros. “For the first time, the budget exceeded the budget of the Regional Secretariat for Education [Science and Technology]”, he compared.
Arguments to conclude that “Health continues to be a pillar of the Regional Government’s investment”.