Hospital financial status? Arrive/Azores agenda urgency debate

O debate now scheduled for next week is justified taking into account “the financial health of hospitals”, which “requires answers and transparency”, underlines the party in press release, warning that “the evolution of the expenditure of hospitals in the region has been increasing exponentially”.

For the Aquire/Azores, “the health of Azoreans is priceless”, arguing that “the financial sustainability of hospitals cannot be analyzed separately from the quality of care provided, from the access of Azoreans to the treatments they need and from the stability of companies that ensure the daily operation of services”.

The party intends to obtain clarifications on the evolution of hospital expenditure, the amount of debts to suppliers and the consequences for users, for health professionals and regional economy, highlighting the situation of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo (HDES), in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel.

According to the Aquira/Açores, the situation of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo (HDES), “is one of the main concerns”, denouncing that the last accounts presented show that the largest health unit in the Azores “is generating, per month, close to 4.6 million euros of damage”.

It is “a value that almost quadrupled in the first six months of 2026, compared to the first semester of last year,” says Aquistima/Azores.

For the party, it is essential “to realize where it is spent and how it is spent”, claiming that “it is not enough to increase health expenditure if Azoreans continue to wait for consultations, examinations and surgeries”. “We need to understand where taxpayers’ money goes and why the increase in burdens does not translate into a faster and more effective response for patients,” says Mrs Cardoso, quoted in the press release.

In the opinion of Arrivo/Azores, the debate should allow “to clarify also the consequences of hospital debts to suppliers”, considering that “delays can put pressure on companies that provide medicines, medical devices, equipment, food, cleaning and maintenance services”, which may affect the ability to maintain jobs and “to meet their own commitments”.

“ Hospital debts don't go away. Someone ends up bearing their costs: taxpayers, suppliers or users themselves, when the lack of resources compromises the response of the services. We cannot ignore the impact of these responsibilities on the Azorean economy,” says Hélia Cardoso.

The MP argues that the management of public health resources should be accompanied by “rigor, transparency and measurable results”.

In the Azores there are three public hospitals dedicated to the Regional Health Service, in the islands of São Miguel, Terceira and Faial.

There is also a private hospital located in Lagoa, on the island of São Miguel.