Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Serpa hospital stays public after private partnership rejected

The General Assembly of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Serpa (SCMS) voted 55 against to 25 for a proposal to create shared‑management contracts with the private group LA Health for its Hospital de São Paulo. The rejection means the hospital will remain integrated in Portugal's National Health Service.

Following the vote, SCMS provider Maria Isabel Estevens submitted her resignation, citing the recent events and other factors. The institution continues under a Special Revitalisation Process launched in 2025. The Portuguese Communist Party criticised the earlier removal of the hospital from the public system, calling the failed private‑management model a political error.