A rehabilitation center for those wounded in the war in Ukraine will open next month in Ourem.

A rehabilitation center created to receive those wounded from the war in Ukraine is expected to open in March in the town of Aldeya Nova, Ouren municipality, after setbacks that delayed the project, the Association of Ukrainian Refugees UAPT said on Wednesday.

Work on the vacant and dilapidated former seminary began in April 2023 and was due to finish in September, but some setbacks related to structural problems in the existing buildings led to a delay and it is now expected to be ready for soldiers. Wounded during the war in March, Angelo Neto, treasurer of the Ukrainian refugee organization UAPT (known as HELP UAPT), the organization responsible for the initiative, told Lusa.

Angelo Neto emphasizes that although HELP UAPT did not seek any financial support from the state in a project developed and supported by the “private sector”, the institution was waiting for institutional support from the Portuguese government in order to alleviate some of the bureaucratic situations associated with the arrival of wounded Ukrainian soldiers.

“We had no monitoring or support from the government. We have more than 20 requests to the government to find out about this project,” with no response, he noted.

According to Angelo Neto, HELP UAPT would like to provide “a straightforward protocol for this project, which would save a lot of bureaucracy that one has to deal with in the Lviv Rehabilitation Center.” [na Ucrânia]”, as well as permission for some Ukrainian doctors to accompany the wounded who will go to the center in Ourem.

The official explained that the arrival of military personnel is coordinated with the rehabilitation center in Lviv, “which is completely full,” and directly with the Ukrainian government.

The association’s treasurer also lamented that the Portuguese government had done “little or nothing” to support Ukrainian refugees, given that it was the private sector in Portugal that supported and supported the arrival of those fleeing the war.

At the moment, some landscaping work still needs to be done on the site, the installation of an elevator and some equipment, with the expectation of receiving 30 wounded and 30 accompanying people between March 15 and 20, said Angelo Neto, emphasizing that “98% of the work is ready.”

According to a member of the association, the work covers a total building area of ​​three thousand square meters, including the main building, annexes and an amphitheater, with an investment of approximately 900 thousand euros, involving partnerships such as Sonae, Leroy Merlin and a foreign Christian organization, in addition that the workforce was entirely voluntary.

Replacement of all installations and electrical connections, the need to license extensions to the building, replacement of frames and the creation of three septic tanks due to lack of sanitation in the area, among other measures, were the main reasons that led to the delay. about the completion of the project, he explained.