In response to Lusa, following reports of signs of “exhaustion” by assistants and nurses in this service because they “can no longer stand having to walk backwards with electric coffeemakers” where they have to heat water for hygiene care for the patients, the HDS nurse-director admits the existence of the problem, considering that it is an “old structure”, but denies the difficulties mentioned.

No matter how long the breakdown lasts, João Formiga assured that the repair “is already scheduled, having been conditioned by the weather”, and assured that “all the patients hospitalized or who had resorted to the emergency service, in need of hygiene care, did so, resorting to hot water, never getting this situation compromised”.

The complaint received by Lusa, and confirmed by various hospital sources, states that the emergency service of HDS has been without hot water "at least seven months", and some of the professionals contacted said that it has been "since April" 2019, the which creates embarrassment as the heating has been done using electric coffee makers.

On the other hand, some of the sources reported that it “rains” inside the emergency facilities, “in the corridors, offices and sorting”, having to be placed buckets to support the water.

João Formiga said that this situation has also been scheduled for repair and that “the safety of users or professionals has never been compromised due to this”.

"All situations referred to were monitored and referred for resolution," he said, adding that he assesses the situation at that service daily, having never been told of "any case of exhaustion, so this situation does not correspond to reality".

The nurse-director points out that “professional fatigue is natural at this time of year”, given that it is in a Contingency Plan, “but the teams of nurses and operational assistants have been strengthened”.