Coimbra: Operation removes asbestos-containing materials from hospitals

The Coimbra Local Health Unit (ULS) has completed the process of removing asbestos-containing materials from several hospital buildings, an operation costing more than 700 thousand euros to create “safer environments”.

The intervention covered ten buildings of the University of Coimbra Hospitals (in Celas), the General Hospital (Covões) and the Sobral Cid Hospital, and took place between December 2024 and April 2025, revealed this Tuesday the ULS, in a statement sent to the Lusa news agency.

"With a total investment of over €700,000, this operation was 70% co-financed by the Heritage Rehabilitation and Conservation Fund, reflecting the joint commitment to promoting safer, healthier, and more sustainable environments in the public sector," he stressed.

According to the Coimbra State Health and Safety Authority (ULS), exposure to asbestos, especially when the materials containing it deteriorate, poses a serious risk to respiratory health . "Its removal is, therefore, an imperative of institutional responsibility and an essential preventive measure," the entity noted.

The operation was conducted “with the utmost technical rigor and in compliance with all legal and environmental standards”, promoting an improvement in health conditions in the areas involved.

The initiative "is part of the modernization and requalification plan for the infrastructure of the Coimbra ULS, with the priority being the creation of safer and more suitable environments for the provision of excellent healthcare," he added.