In a relentless concerted attack on Algarve hospital boss Pedro Nunes, Portimão’s municipal assembly has passed a new motion calling for his dismissal. The move comes after a series of political manoeuvres to get rid of the no-nonsense ophthalmologist from Lisbon whose plain-speaking and resilience under fire has not endeared him to a gathering crowd of opponents.
The latest motion – proposed by the coalition Servir Portimão group – was approved by the municipal assembly majority last Friday.
It follows a censure motion in November last year by the same assembly, two petitions by doctors and staff – both involving hundreds of signatures – and a recent personal call to the prime minister for Nunes’ removal by Portimão Socialist mayoress Isilda Gomes.
Servir Portimão claims they came to their decision because of the “increasing degradation of the working environment” at the various hospitals in the region – and they suggest Nunes’ attitude has shown a “lack of respect” for health professionals.
Far from being part of the solution at CHA (the Algarve’s central hospital authority), Servir Portimão contend that Nunes is “a central part” of the problems.
Up until now, the 60-year-old hospital director has had the wholehearted support of the Minister of Health Paulo Macedo, and has repeatedly vowed that he will stick out the political back-biting and get on with the job he was hired to do.
A number of health “improvements” are on track, he told the Resident, and Portimão is one of the only hospitals in the country boosting bed numbers through the crisis.
Castro Marim’s mayor Francisco Amaral entered the fray recently, calling for “a climate of peace” without all the “emotional protests”. He said the job of running just one of the hospitals in the Algarve was a “headache”. All three, he maintained, was an “impossibility”.
Isilda Gomes’ personal appeal to Pedro Passos Coelho came last week when the mayoress travelled to Lisbon to try and secure €134 million to save her council from bankruptcy.
On hearing of the new move to get rid of him, Nunes commented that it was “just like all the others”. The doctor has always maintained that politics are behind the protests and this one, he suggests, has been fired by opponents wishing to get publicity in the lead up to the European elections.
