Doctor Kenneth Vieira practised medicine all over the world before coming to the Algarve and fulfilling his dream of designing a bespoke, purpose-built surgery in Carvoeiro.
Although he has travelled the world, Dr. Vieira is actually of Portuguese origin. His grandfather left Portugal decades ago and went to live in Surinam – Dutch Guyana, South America. After spending his childhood there, Kenneth moved to Holland in the 1970s to train as a General Practitioner. By the time he qualified, in 1978, there was a surplus of doctors in Holland, so he decided to move to the small Caribbean island of Aruba. This proved to be a 13 year stay, with Dr. Vieira working as a GP and running a maternity clinic, which had 400 babies at the time.
In 1992, Dr. Vieira decided to return to Holland, where, by this time, there was a shortage of GPs. He set up his practice from scratch and, after two-and-a-half years of hard work, he had 2,300 patients on his books. Despite running a successful and busy practice, by 1999, Dr. Vieira felt the urge to move again. He knew a dentist who visited the Algarve frequently and who recommended moving to Portugal. So, between 2000 and 2003, Dr. Vieira visited the Algarve as often as possible in order to assess the climate, to see if there was a future for such a centre and to speak with local doctors.
Finally, in June 2003, he found the perfect site for his surgery. The problem was that there was no building, just four pillars in the ground. But it was exactly the size of space that Dr. Vieira had been looking for and gave him the opportunity to design his clinic as he wanted it rather than adapt an existing apartment. Work started last September and the surgery, which is designed for two GPs and a dentist, with a laboratory and space for additional diagnostic procedures, is now open. It seems the globetrotting Dr. Vieira has finally realised his ambition of a bespoke clinic from which he can offer his worldwide experience in medicine.
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