"In an unprecedented and absolutely exceptional situation, we have to foresee funds and measures for the Budget and Plan of 2024 and we will also have to include in the Medium-Term Guidelines the planning and investments necessary" for the rehabilitation of the Hospital Divino Espírito Santo (HDES) in Ponta Delgada", said Duarte Freitas today.

The minister, who was speaking in the plenary session of the parliament of the Azores, in Horta, at the start of the discussion of the Plan and Budget of the region for this year, recalled that "at the time of the presentation of the documents, the executive was far from being faced with the need to change them.

He also mentioned that the executive, during the covid-19 pandemic, fought for two years "so that health services would not collapse" and, now, suddenly, on the morning of May 4, the region lost "the main support of the Regional Health Service (SRS)".

"From one day to the next, the largest and most differentiated structure of the SRS, the Hospital Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada, closed its doors", he added.

Duarte Freitas recalled the work done so far and stressed that, "the mother house of autonomy [the Azorean parliament], in one of its noblest moments, in the budgetary discussion, is called upon to confirm all the availability and concerns declared by the political parties".

After the fire, a state of public calamity was declared and a Working Group was set up to identify the measures necessary to restore the normal activity of the HDES and to present, by May 31, "a Progress Report".

This group will also coordinate the "global management of the work necessary to respond to this catastrophe", he added.

"It is not a small thing, nor in a short time. (...) This misfortune will still have consequences for months and years", he pointed out.

Regarding the Plan and Budget, Duarte Freitas listed some of the main measures, such as maintaining the Azores Tariff, "lowering taxes, ending levies in agriculture and the new elderly program", among others.

"We want to value public service careers. Instead of the previous 10 points that were necessary to move up the salary position, workers will only need six points to progress. This represents, from this year and for the future, a 40% reduction in the time needed to progress in their careers. This measure, which will cover around 2,800 workers this year, will have an impact of four million euros", he said.

Freitas also said that the executive proposes "to increase the Complementary Remuneration by 5% and to increase the maximum salary ceiling from 1,386.61 euros to 1,701.15 euros", covering 1,503 more workers.

"We will also proceed with the regularization of 515 professionals admitted under covid-19 contracts, which proved to be permanent needs of the Regional Health Service", he added.

It is also the intention of the Regional Government "to design, by the end of the year, pilot experiences to evaluate the potential of the four-day week".

The Plan and Budget of the Azores for 2024, with a value of 2,045.5 million euros, similar to that presented in October 2023 (2,036.7 million), began to be debated today in the plenary session of the Regional Legislative Assembly, in Horta.

This is the second time that the Regional Government coalition led by José Manuel Bolieiro has presented a preliminary proposal for an Investment Plan for this year, after the previous one was rejected in the Legislative Assembly, in November, with the votes against PS, BE and IL and the abstention of Chega and PAN, which led the President of the Republic to call early elections.

Read Also: Parliament of the Azores begins debate on Plan and Budget for this year (Portuguese version)