This Saturday, the city of Caldas da Rainha woke up in mourning with black stripes on municipal buildings and several commercial establishments. In the early hours of the morning, about 300 people wearing black T-shirts with the words “I fight for the hospital” gathered around the statue of Queen Dona Leonor to protest the announced closure of the ambulance service. the decision of the Minister of Health to build a hospital in Oeste in Bombarral.
For the municipality of Caldas da Rainha, Manuel Pizarro’s decision “refers not only to the construction of major equipment outside of Caldas da Rainha”, since the current hospital department in the city will be converted to provide other health services, yet to be determined, but will not support medical and surgical emergencies. “This is a day of mourning and struggle for the Caldas da Rainha hospital,” said Mayor Vitor Marques, who warns of “profound negative economic and social consequences that will affect the municipality.” “Bombarral does not have the facilities to place infrastructure around a hospital like Caldas da Rainha,” says Sobreiro Duarte, one of the demonstrators. “Caldas da Rainha has had a hospital for many years, around which the economy and society are built,” said Catarina Emiliou, another protester.