The Intermunicipal Community of the Algarve (AMAL) will monitor the negotiation between the Regional Health Administration (ARS) of the Algarve and the eight municipalities that have not yet signed the transfer of competences in Health.
In a statement, AMAL justifies the decision with the need to “overcome the impasse in which the process is” and which means that half of the 16 Algarve municipalities have not yet accepted the transfer of competences in this area.
“The transfer of competences in the area of Health is a matter that has caused many concerns to the mayors of the Algarve and, with the aim of helping to resolve the impasse in which the process is currently, the Intermunicipal Community will follow the negotiations”, reads the statement.
According to AMAL, the decision was taken at a meeting attended by the chairman of the ARS board of directors, Paulo Morgado, who guaranteed “all possible collaboration and help” on the part of the tutelage in carrying out the transfer of competences in this area.
During the meeting, the president of AMAL, António Pina, recalled that “the mayors have unanimously assumed the transfer of competences and their implementation on the ground, not least because they defend that these must be exercised locally”.
However, with regard to transfers in the area of Health, “the issue has given rise to many headaches, mainly in relation to three very concrete issues: human resources, funds for maintenance services and the rehabilitation of health centers”.
Cited in the note, the also mayor of Olhão adds that these are values that “fall far short of what are normal needs for the proper functioning of health services” and that must be adjusted to the current reality.
The president of ARS said, in turn, that he understands the concerns of the mayors, especially because the process “is quite complex and each municipality has its specificities”, but stressed that these must be overcome.
“What is defended and intended is that no municipality is harmed in this process of transferring competences and that this does not imply financial burdens that may overburden the budgets of municipalities”, underlined Paulo Morgado.
According to that official, the next step is to discuss all the needs and concerns of the eight municipalities, in the respective monitoring committees, so that they can, together, “think of solutions that resolve the impasse and reach a consensus in this process” .
The decisions that are taken for these municipalities will also then be applied to the remaining municipalities that have already accepted the transfer of competences in the area of health.
Source Lusa
