According the Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CDDR), the support, granted under an application submitted by the Algarve Local Health Unit (ULS), will "strengthen" healthcare, "especially in the area of ​​oncology," improving "prevention, early diagnosis, specialised treatment, and monitoring of cancer patients" in the region.

This represents a "total investment of €17 million, of which €10.23 million corresponds to support from European funds," and the "project execution" is scheduled for the first half of 2027, the CCDR estimated.

"The project is based on a strategy of enhancing existing infrastructure within the National Health Service (SNS), complemented by the construction of new healthcare facilities, namely the Southern Integrated Regional Oncology Center, to be located in Loulé," it clarified.

The Algarve regional commission highlighted the importance of the "synergy created by the ULS Algarve and the Loulé municipality" in enabling and providing land for the construction of a "specific building."

The municipality will also allocate €1.4 million to the ULS as a "national contribution to the application," it added.

"The implementation of this investment will ensure a comprehensive response to users in the Algarve region, acting in a coordinated manner across three fundamental areas for an adequate response in the oncology field: Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Specific Treatment, and Care for Cancer Patients," stated the CCDR.

The project will also strengthen and modernise the surgical centres in the region's three hospitals (Faro, Portimão, and Lagos) through the "acquisition of advanced endoscopic surgery equipment, surgical microscopy, video towers," among others, according to the CCDR.

"Recognising the growing importance of Oncological Pulmonology, it also foresees strengthening diagnostic and therapeutic capacity with video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS) and functional respiratory diagnostic equipment," it added.

The regional commission emphasised the importance of this project in ensuring that cancer patients have access to "modern and effective treatments without the need for long trips to other regions" of the country.