New competition launched for the Évora Radiotherapy Unit concession

Um new competition will be launched by the Local Health Unit of the Central Alentejo (ULSAC) to grant the Radiotherapy Unit of Évora, after the Court of Auditors has failed the contract with the winner of the previous procedure.

In a reply sent today to the Lusa agency via e-mail, ULSAC indicated that it was “developing the procedures necessary for the opening of a new competition, which will ensure the resumption of the Radiotherapy Unit’s activity.”.

“ At the same time, the work that is essential to the unit’s entry into operation is carried out”, he revealed, without specifying which actions are underway.

The Radiotherapy Unit of the hospital of Évora, closed since 1 June, benefited from renovation and modernization works, in an investment of about 4 million euros, with funding from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).

This new competition to be launched by ULSAC follows another, launched in February of this year and awarded in April to Atrys, with a value of EUR 13,5 million and a term of four years, renewable.

However, the Court of Auditors (TdC) refused the visa prior to the contract between the local health unit (ULS) and the company that won the contest, in a judgment of 17 July this year, consulted by Lusa on the ‘site’ of the financial control body.

The judges advisors of the TdC Fernando Oliveira Silva, Paulo Nogueira da Costa and Miguel Pestana de Vasconcelos refused the visa for “direct violation of financial rules”, due to the omission of the procedure for launching the public-private partnership and lack of prior authorization of multiannual commitments.

The lead of the contract by the TdC was reported in the latest edition of the magazine Alentejo Ilustrado.

In its response to Lusa, ULSAC refused to point out dates for the launch of the new competition or for the reopening of the unit, but only to point out that “it is committed to achieving this process as quickly as possible”.

“The Radiotherapy Unit will resume its activity with a technologically renewed infrastructure, equipped with two new linear accelerators, reinforcing the responsiveness and quality of care provided to patients in the region,” he said.

According to ULSAC, due to the temporary closure of radiotherapy in Évora, 367 patients have been referred to units of other ULS, particularly those of the Algarve, Lezíria, Santa Maria and Arco Ribeirinho, in order to continue the treatments.

“ All referrals are carried out in an articulated manner between the ULSAC and the destination units, taking into account the clinical situation of each patient, the care priority defined by the medical teams, geographical proximity and, whenever possible, the preference expressed by the user himself ", highlighted.

ULSAC stressed that “follows the whole referral process and ensures the necessary support to ensure continuity of care, including the organization of patient transport to the units where the treatments are carried out”.

“ The priority of ULSAC has been to ensure that no patient no longer has timely access to the radiotherapy care he needs, maintaining the guaranteed care response through the articulation with the other SNS units ", he added.