Mónica Seidi monitors refurbishment works at Horta Hospital - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social

The Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, visited Horta Hospital on Friday to closely monitor the progress of the ongoing refurbishment works, which are proceeding well.

These interventions, together with the upgrading of hospital equipment and IT systems, represent an investment of more than €9 million. They are intended to strengthen the Regional Health Service by providing users with better care, comfort and safety conditions.

"We are consistently investing in the modernisation of Horta Hospital, ensuring better conditions for patients and professionals while strengthening the response capacity of the Regional Health Service," stressed the government official.

Regarding equipment investment, significant improvements are being made to Horta Hospital's technological resources through a wide range of purchases, including a new MRI scanner, a 64-slice CT scanner and six new vehicles for the hospital fleet.

In the case of the new MRI scanner, representing an investment of about €1.5 million, the equipment will boost the diagnostic capacity on the islands of Faial, Pico and São Jorge, ensure faster and more effective responses, improve the quality of care provided and significantly reduce patient travel to other islands.

“This is a decisive step towards bringing diagnostic facilities closer to the populations of these islands and avoiding unnecessary travel, promoting greater equal access to healthcare,” added Mónica Seidi.

The new CT scanner, an investment of €500,000, will replace the equipment currently in use, which is around 20 years old, ensuring greater reliability and diagnostic quality.

The old water heating boilers, which had been in use since the hospital opened and were often a source of operational constraints, were also replaced during the intervention.

The Regional Secretary also made a point of praising the commitment of the hospital's health professionals, highlighting that the 2025 healthcare results show positive progress, with more surgeries performed, more day hospital sessions, and an increase in physical medicine and rehabilitation treatments compared to 2024.

"These indicators clearly reflect the dedication, competence and sense of mission of the Horta Hospital professionals, whose work for the benefit of the population is widely recognised by the Azorean Government of the Azores," she said. 

The Regional Government thus reiterates its commitment to continue investing in the modernisation of health infrastructures and equipment, ensuring a more modern Regional Health Service that is closer and better prepared to serve all Azoreans.

These investments are made under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).