José Santos Pereira, founder and president of the Algarve Oncology Association and one of the driving forces behind the creation of the region’s radiotherapy unit, died from heart failure at the age of 80 on Wednesday (February 1).
His life was defined not only by his efforts to guarantee better conditions for cancer patients in the Algarve, but also by his successful career as a surgeon which earned him a gold medal from the Ministry of Health in 2012.
“His death is a great loss for the Algarve and Portugal, due to his contributions to our society both in the health sector as well as a human being,” the parish council of Montenegro said in a statement.
In 1994, he created the Algarve Oncology Association, which provides support to cancer patients and their families in the region.
The purchase of a mobile unit allowing cancer screenings to be conducted anywhere throughout the region became one of the association’s biggest feats in 2005. It is also the organiser of the Mamamaratona walk/race in Portimão, which every year raises funds for the Casa Flor das Dunas project, a home-from-home for patients being treated at Faro’s radiotherapy unit.
