Valpaços, Portugal, Jan. 8, 2026 (Lusa) - Presidential candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo found it strange that the investments announced in the wake of tragic events and referred to the head of government for an assessment of the political conditions for the Minister of Health to remain in office.
Gouveia e Melo was speaking before visiting the Misericórdia Hospital in Valpaços, in the district of Vila Real, after being confronted by journalists with the investments announced by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro in parliament for the health sector.
At the start of the fortnightly debate, Luís Montenegro lamented the deaths of people who did not receive timely assistance and revealed that on Wednesday, the government approved the purchase of 275 new vehicles for Portugal's National Medical Emergency Institute (INEM), an investment of €16.8 million.
When asked about the investments announced by the PSD/CDS-PP government, the former Chief of Staff of the Navy reacted: "Announcements like these, made in the wake of tragic events, and once again I would like to offer my condolences to the people and families who have suffered the loss of loved ones, are always strange".
"They may even be made with the best of intentions and be the best of proposals, but it always seems like a measure that has to do with communication, or crisis communication management, rather than a real solution to a problem. A problem that has been affecting us for a long time," replied the admiral.
When asked about the political conditions for Health Minister Ana Paula Martins to remain in office, Gouveia e Melo referred the question to the head of the government.
"The only person who can assess the performance of his ministers, not least because he is the person most affected by their performance, is the prime minister. And that is in his conscience and in the political freedom he has as a political actor, as prime minister," he maintained.
Speaking to journalists, Henrique Gouveia e Melo began by expressing his "satisfaction with the investment in equipment and solutions" announced by Luís Montenegro.
However, he said he hoped that "we will move on from declarations of intent to implementation".
"Often, when we make investments, we forget that there is a whole operational cost associated with this equipment, the cost in human beings, who need to work with the equipment and need to exist in the system. But also a daily operational cost to maintain this equipment," he pointed out.
The issue that arises, according to Gouveia e Melo, "is the problem of lack of organisation, lack of leadership and lack of management".
"In fact, we are facing a curious situation in the Aveiro area, where we have vehicles, but there is a risk that for nine days we will not have these vehicles operational because we have problems with personnel. Often, the investment is not only material. You have to invest in organisations, in professional leadership, truly professional, in knowledge and in capacity," he countered.
According to the admiral, in recent years, the Portuguese have been told "that the largest investment ever in health has been made, but none of this has worked so far".
"As such, you can't just throw money at a problem, especially if the nature of the problem is not one of material investment," he warned, before taking a dig at one of the main proposals put forward by his opponent, António José Seguro.
"Problems cannot be solved with an almost majestic attitude of saying that we have to make a grand pact for health, because that pact already exists. All governments in recent years have invested in health. Therefore, the problem is not investing in health, the problem lies in the organisation of health," he insisted.
PMF/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
