Speaking to MPs at a parliamentary health commission, Graça Freitas said that deficient maintenance had been found.
The preliminary report drawn up by the health authorities who visited the hospital said that the cooling tower was in a poor state of repair.
Taking into account the degradation inside the cooling tower, the specialists suggested it should be replaced by another one without water.
This comes after the Portuguese health minister, Adalberto Campos Fernandes, apologised to the Legionnaire’s victims and said that they must be compensated for the damage done, during the parliamentary discussion about the state budget for health. The Minister said São Francisco Xavier Hospital in Lisbon, the companies responsible for surveillance and the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Health Administration must also apologise to the victims.
The Legionnaire’s outbreak at São Francisco Xavier Hospital infected 56 people, five of whom died as a result.