“Motherhood in Coimbra is not just a long-time dream. It is an absolute necessity for the Central region”, she highlighted.

On the sidelines of the public signing ceremony of the memoranda of understanding for the implementation of the “Be a Mom” program in the National Health Service, which took place in Coimbra, Ana Paula Martins said that “it was clear” in the State Budget report that “maternity in Coimbra is a priority”.

“Of course, in due time, and now in the discussion of the Budget, the Prime Minister himself will certainly talk about the importance we give to motherhood here in Coimbra”, she added.

The competition for the construction of the new maternity hospital in Coimbra should be launched in February 2025, said the president of the Local Health Unit (ULS) of Coimbra, Alexandre Lourenço.

The new maternity ward, which will involve an investment of more than 55 million euros, will be built within the perimeter of the Coimbra University Hospitals.

This is a project that has long been demanded in the region and has suffered several delays over time: in 2021, its inauguration was scheduled for 2024, and, in 2023, it was expected that the tender could be launched in the first quarter of 2024.

According to Alexandre Lourenço, some revisions of the process are currently being carried out so that the public tender can be launched in February 2025, with it being estimated that the work could begin in October of this year if everything goes well with the bidding process.