On Wednesday, the regional health secretary, Mónica Seidi, said in the parliament of the Azores that the preliminary cost estimate for the largest health unit in the Azores, in Ponta Delgada, to operate this year is 24.306 million euros. Today, at a press conference in the hospital, Manuela Gomes de Menezes said that it is not yet possible to give a cost estimate, because "different situations arise every day", related to "expenses arising from the continuity of the hospital's operation". "These 24 million that were presented to our guardianship on Saturday is a value that will be constantly reviewed. On that Saturday, it was 24 million. Today it is no longer 24 million", said the president of the board of directors of the Ponta Delgada Hospital, on the island of São Miguel. The official explained that, due to the fire that occurred on May 4, which left it inactive and forced the transfer of all patients, the hospital is divided into "six health institutions and with employees also divided" by those units, having been necessary to create a transport system for the workers. "And, as such, the costs are much higher because we are dispersed", she added, indicating expenses that come from feeding the patients and greater travel, cleaning work in the buildings, additional costs with food, because the kitchen "burned down completely", as well as "a considerable increase" in the consumption of surgical material, and expenses with washing hospital clothes, at the level of telecommunications and surveillance. To ensure vacations and time off for employees, it was necessary to create "a pool of senior diagnostic and therapeutic technicians, doctors and nurses to guarantee the operation and continuity of patient care", she added. "The important message to convey is that we are completely dispersed and, therefore, these costs will always be dynamic. At the end of May, it will have another value. In June, it will most likely have another value, but this is already part of it", stressed the official. Manuela Gomes de Menezes added that, since the day of the fire, the hospital has created "a cost center" to be able to account for the damages caused by the fire and "all the costs that arise from the operation that was necessary to set up to ensure the provision of care to patients". According to the official, the work to ascertain the causes of the fire is still ongoing. However, she added, the installation of two transformer stations that ensure the supply of energy in a "reliable and safe" way to the east, south and west zones of the building has already been completed. Also during the course of next week, the finalization of the installation of a third and final transformer station should be completed, which will allow the supply of energy to the remaining part of the building - the north zone. The president of the board of directors of HDES also indicated that the work of deep cleaning the hospital, testing equipment, testing and cleaning the air ducts and air conditioning system, as well as the medical gas system, is progressing "at an effective pace". All non-clinical services have been working, in person, in the building since Wednesday, namely human resources, IT, financial, procurement, patient management, provision of clinical information, patient services, social services, patient transfer, risk management, general services, hotel and legal services, among others. Manuela Gomes de Menezes also revealed that the laundry "resumed its activity in full on Thursday, ensuring the daily washing of 4.5 tons of hospital clothes and uniforms". Next week, after the cleaning of the sterilization center is finished, tests will be carried out by specialized technicians to evaluate and test that center. Still according to the official, in addition to clinical care, "a series of relevant complementary care" is also being provided, such as psychological, social and spiritual support to patients and families. Read Also: Plano dos Açores aprovado na generalidade com abstenção do PS, IL e PAN (Portuguese version)