The building of the new centre will be financed with an amount of €1.3 million from ARS / Algarve (35 percent of the total), authorised by a government decree dated 28 January, and another of €2.4 million (65 percent) from the municipality of Loulé, already budgeted for 2020.
Speaking to Lusa, the president of ARS / Algarve, Paulo Morgado said he believed that the project would contribute “to the difficult establishment of clinicians in the Algarve, who thus have an opportunity in the region to be able to differentiate themselves in the academic field, which otherwise they wouldn’t have”.
The building, which is “designed from scratch to have a teaching and research component” and “is a pioneer”, will provide “better conditions for this teaching and research in primary health care”, he argued.
The training and research component of the University Health Centre of Loulé (CSUL) will be tutored by the Academic Centre for Research and Biomedical Training of the Algarve - Algarve Biomedical Centre (ABC).
The President of ABC, Nuno Marques, highlighted to Lusa the importance of expanding this offer - until now very centered on the Hospital and University Centre of the Algarve (CHUA) and the University of the Algarve - to health centres in the region, already in 2020, to innovate and improve care for the population.
That official stated that this feature will “strengthen the training and research capacity of health centres” and that the Academic Centre will “guarantee the offer” on the training component, “especially for postgraduate studies”.
Defending that “doctors in health centres need continuous training to be always up to date and provide the best care”, Nuno Marques said that ABC will also provide “all the necessary support” to the research projects that may be developed.
This year, there will be 100 doctors covered by these training actions, belonging to the health centres of Loulé and the other municipalities of the Central Algarve: Faro, São Brás de Alportel, Olhão and Albufeira.
The University Health Centre of Loulé will be in the new health complex in the Algarve city, which will also include the Family Health Unit (USF) Lauroé and a Community Care Unit, the Mayor of Loulé told Lusa.
Vítor Aleixo said that he hopes to have the specialty projects completed “by June” in order to launch a contest and, “if all goes well, start the work in a year”.