Hospital da Orta receives nine more patients displaced from Ponta Delgada after the fire

This Wednesday, the Horta Hospital received nine more patients from São Miguel due to the fire that broke out on Saturday at the Ponta Delgada hospital and forced the evacuation of the largest medical facility in the Azores.

“To date, 25 patients have arrived on Sunday who underwent hemodialysis on the same day, and today nine more patients have arrived who will also undergo hemodialysis by the end of the day, for a total of 34 patients in the Ponta Delgada hospital,” he explained. Luse Joana Dec Mota, clinical director of the Hospital da Orta on the island of Faial.

The fire that broke out on Saturday at the Divino Espirito Santo hospital in Ponta Delgada led to the transfer of all hospitalized patients and the closure of the emergency department, maternity ward and operating room.

The next day, the government of the Azores declared a state of public disaster due to the fire, the causes of which are not yet known, as a way to “expedite procedures” that would allow the situation to return to normal in a “short time.” “, about the activities of the largest healthcare unit in the Azores.

In addition to the 34 hemodialysis patients from Ponta Delgada, Hospital da Orta continues to provide daily hemodialysis treatments to another 30 patients from the islands of Faial and Pico. This situation will force the administration to extend shifts until midnight, as well as strengthen human resources. Resources.

“This means more shifts and we will need human resources,” stressed the clinic director, adding that a “team of nurses and operational assistants” will arrive from San Miguel at the end of the week to collaborate with the team of nurses from Horta.

Due to a shortage of beds at Horta Hospital, patients displaced by the fire are being temporarily housed in hotel rooms, but despite being away from their family, they say they have no reason to complain.

“It was a good decision for us. We are very well equipped, we lack nothing, and we are very well supported by nurses and assistants, but of course we feel strange towards our nurses,” admitted Lina Bernardo, one of the displaced patients, in statements to journalists, during treatment time in Orta.

Also, Daniel Franguinho, an Azorean expat who lived in Bermuda for 34 years but visited Ponta Delgada, said he had no complaints about the way he was received at Horta Hospital.

“They treat us very well, in all respects, we can’t say anything bad about anything,” he assured.

Despite the doubling of the number of patients receiving hemodialysis treatment at the da Horta hospital, the clinical director of the medical unit said it would still be able to accept more patients from other areas if necessary.

A fire broke out at the Divino Espirito Santo hospital on Saturday, causing all hospitalized patients to be transferred.

Regional Health Minister Monica Seydi told Lusa that at the time of the fire, “there were 333 patients in the hospital,” and they managed to “discharge 23” and transfer 240 patients.

Critical and seriously ill patients were transferred to the CUF hospital in the city of Lagoa, while the rest were transferred to medical centers. In addition to the patients transferred to Horta, another 26 users went to the Santo Espirito hospital on the island of Terceira. Some patients were also transferred to Madeira and the continent.