By ELOISE WALTON [email protected]
A new private hospital belonging to the Algarve-based Hospital Particular group has opened its doors to the public in Faro.
The new facility, which cost 35 million euros to build, is near the Gambelas campus of the University of the Algarve.
It has 125 doctors representing more than 30 medical specialities, as well as 74 nurses and 53 auxiliary medical staff, all of various nationalities including Portuguese, British, Dutch, German and French.
During a press preview of the facility on November 25, prior to its official inauguration two days later, the chairman of Hospital Particular Dr João Bacalhau said: “This hospital is very well equipped. We believe that a modern hospital must be like a hotel with a medical service.”
He added that this is the reason why the hospital has a former hotel director on its management team as well as a chef from the five star Sheraton resort.
The new private hospital includes a variety of state of the art equipment as well as medical services that are unique to the region, such as a 24-hour emergency paediatrics unit, which is to start functioning in January.
Other medical services include nuclear medicine, clinical analysis facilities, a urology centre, scan services such as mammography and CT scans, surgery and much more.
Innovative technology has been used to create an intelligent and energy efficient building, where patients and doctors can access digitally stored medical records in any of the group’s hospitals. Each room also has a flat screen television where patients can access games, television, radio, the internet and other information services.
The hospital’s clinical director, Dr Paulo Sousa said: “Our maternity ward has the facilities for mothers to choose a variety of birthing options including water births, which are not available anywhere else in the region.”
He added that the intensive care ward, with eight beds including an isolation room, is also equipped with the latest technology to respond to any medical situation, while the hospital also has four ambulances to transport patients to and from home as well as between the group’s hospitals.
Dr Thomas Kaiser will be the emergency unit coordinator at the new hospital. He told the Algarve Resident: “There will be a multi-lingual team of well trained doctors to care for the needs of holiday makers and foreign residents who come to this special emergency department.” He added that his experience of working with foreign patients will help to integrate the hospital with large developments and resorts such as Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago.
According to the group’s financial director, Luís Farinha, the new hospital has provided 350 jobs, which will increase to around 450 in two or three years.
Once in full operation, the hospital will be able to cater for 230,000 planned consultations, 32,000 overnight stays, 8,500 surgeries and up to 1,750 births per year.
For the future, the Hospital Particular group are looking to expand their services and facilities at the private hospital in Alvor.
“We are looking to expand our services to cater for the elderly, plastic and cosmetic surgery, wellness and palliative care,” said Dr João Bacalhau.
The projects include the construction of 56 assisted residences with a spa, bars, restaurants and medical facilities for residents near the Alvor hospital as well as the construction of a hotel with 75 bedrooms and 15 suites aimed at the elderly, people recovering from illnesses or surgery or undergoing rehabilitation.
For more information about the Hospital Particular group, please visit the website, available in English, at www.hpalg.com.
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