The new Hospital Particular da Madeira is the only private clinic in the Madeira region with emergency and intensive care units that work around the clock. The new clinic opened for patients in May 2019, offering pediatric and maternity care and state-of-the-art operating theatres. One of the theatres is a hybrid operating theatre with specific technology for cardiovascular and neurosurgery. Previously, Madeira did not have such comprehensive medical services on offer.
Private hospital care scaled up on Madeira with the help of EU funds
- 21 February 2020
The biggest difference that this project brought about is the novelty of having a private hospital working on a 24-hour basis. This was about improving healthcare locally.
The hospital has resulted in 300 new jobs on the island of Madeira. The facility is a specialised care unit with a radiology centre that boasts the most advanced equipment in the field, unique even in the whole country. It offers an alternative to public healthcare and also offers treatment to visitors to the island.
Improving healthcare locally
With the improved infrastructure, the hospital accommodates visiting specialists who can treat patients on location, rather than requiring the patients to seek treatment on the Iberian continent. Had this project not been implemented, the locals would experience considerable delays in healthcare provision and real constraints in accessing care.
In terms of healthcare outcomes, Madeira lags behind as a region: a Portuguese citizen living on Madeira has access to 2.5 medical consultations a year on average, well below the national average 4.2 visits a year.
Patients from abroad
The hospital receives foreign patients seeking care abroad. This type of medical tourism to the island is in its infancy, but is expected to pick up and bring added value to Madeira. As there are approximately 260 000 inhabitants on Madeira, the aim is to attract patients living abroad for regular check-ups or treatment.
The island strives to position itself as a reference destination for high-quality healthcare that includes aesthetic surgery, and patient rehabilitation programmes and prevention plans.
To reach the Madeiran diaspora, which comprises almost a million people, the private hospital will design comprehensive healthcare packages directed at the expatriate community. The hospital’s maternity care unit is planning to welcome expectant mothers to the island, as a way of catering to the needs of families from Madeira whose children would then again be native to the island.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Hospital Particular de Madeira SA. - New Health Care Facility” is EUR 24 776 550 with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 850 000 through the “Programa Operacional da Região Autónoma da Madeira 2014-2020” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs”.