“The commitment has been made; it has already been made by the Government, by the Prime Minister; it is in the Government's program, and I think we will be able to start soon,” said Ana Paula Martins, speaking to journalists at the end of a signing ceremony for several agreements in Coimbra for the development of the health ecosystem in the Central region.

Confidence and optimism

The Minister stated that she is “quite confident and optimistic about the start of this project, still during the year 2026”, highlighting the importance of carrying out a project long demanded in the region.

Asked whether the public tender to launch the project would still be held this year, Ana Paula Martins refused to give a date but stressed that there is a commitment to move the process forward "as quickly as possible."

"Journalists usually do their job and ask me for a date, and I do mine and don't give a date. But that's not because there's any issue regarding the date itself," she said.

Administrative issues

According to the official, there are still administrative issues that need to be "resolved and framed," namely the phasing of expenses and the necessary authorisations to "start the process."

"The maternity ward won't be built overnight. What we want is for it to be very successful, but above all, naturally, we want to start as quickly as possible, because we know that this is very important for citizens to see that things are happening and for the professionals, above all, who never gave up, never closed the door," she stressed.

Location of the maternity ward

The new maternity ward, to be built within the perimeter of the University Hospitals of Coimbra, will replace the two maternity wards currently operating in the city.

Over the years, this project has suffered several delays (in 2021, its inauguration was even projected for 2024, and in 2023, the tender was expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2024).

The State Budget for 2025 already had funds reserved for the project, but the tender was not launched.

Signing of several agreements

The Minister was speaking to journalists at the end of a meeting that led to the signing of several agreements for the development of the health ecosystem in the Central region, namely a charter for health signed by 24 municipalities, memoranda of understanding with international entities and a letter of intent with the World Health Organization (WHO) for the creation of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Integrated Care throughout the Life Cycle at the Local Health Unit (ULS) of Coimbra.

Among those participating in the ceremony were the president of the Local Health Unit (ULS) of Coimbra, Francisco Maio Matos, the mayor of Coimbra, Ana Abrunhosa, and the president of the Board of Directors of the Academic Clinical Centre of Coimbra, Carlos Robalo Cordeiro.