CEO of Lusíadas Saúde says PPPs have created “the best hospitals in Portugal”

Vasco Antunes Pereira, the CEO of the Grupo Lusíadas Saúde, has called for the return of Public Private Partnerships in the Portuguese health sector, but warns that the model must be “sustainable”.

He said that the Grupo Lusíadas Saúde is open to compete for new PPPs in health if they are sustainable, in an interview with Antena 1 and Negócios.
“The PPP model has proven to be advantageous at all levels: First, for the State, representing savings and efficiency for the system. Second, for the population by creating the best hospitals that there have ever been in Portugal.
PPPs in healthcare have been suggested by right-wing parties, while the leader of the PS party, Pedro Nuno Santos, is not against the model.
“If PPPs return we are available to evaluate the conditions of the competitions, but not under any conditions.
“What happened in the PPP Contract in Cascais is that they made it impossible to present a tender because it wasn’t sustainable. If I happens (again) naturally we won’t be able to join the game”, he said.