The leader of the PS/Azores, Francisco César, accused the regional secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, of “insensitivity” for having admitted, in the view of the Socialists, cuts to the CEDO – Special Supplement for Oncological Patients, aimed at displaced patients.
From Francisco César’s point of view, this attitude reveals a lack of sensitivity on the part of the executive and poor management of regional finances.
“It was with astonishment that we witnessed the total insensitivity of the Regional Government, namely through the Regional Secretary for Health, in saying that the supplement for cancer patients would have to be modified because resources are finite,” the PS/Azores president lamented.
“The Socialist Party will not accept this happening. If the government needs to cut costs, then it should start by cutting the largest number of deputies and technical specialists that have ever existed in the regional government, who represent a cost of more than one and a half million euros, enough to fully cover this supplement,” he said, quoted in a party press release issued on Friday.
The Socialists maintain that “despite the government’s current financial crisis, displaced patients are still entitled to receive this support” and that payment should be made on time.
“The solution when you don’t have the resources is not to cut back on those who need it most, but to cut back on areas where there is unnecessary spending. When we see that the government has increased the number of appointees from 39 to over 80, spending millions of euros on technical specialists, it’s clear where we should start cutting,” Francisco César pointed out.
“We won’t let those who suffer the most pay for this government’s mismanagement,” he added.
The PS/Azores’ position generated a reaction from the Regional Health Secretariat, which said in a statement that Francisco César’s accusations were “unfounded.”

“In four years, the PSD/CDS/PPM coalition government increased the amount of the CEDO – Special Supplement for Oncology Patients – by 60%,” the regional secretariat pointed out.
“This was an unprecedented increase in support for cancer patients in the Azores, completely reversing what happened under the Socialist government,” it continued.
The press release stresses that “the figures speak for themselves”.
“In 2020, the Socialist government set aside 850,000 euros in the Region’s budget for CEDO. In 2025, the Coalition Government is forecasting almost two million euros. The successive increases in CEDO alone demonstrate that the statements made by Francisco César in relation to this matter are false, or if it weren’t for the coalition government being the one that has truly supported cancer patients,” the government defended.
The Regional Government “reaffirms its commitment to continue supporting those who need it most, namely cancer patients, as it always has”.
At the root of the disagreement are statements made by Mónica Seidi to RTP/Açores, in which the government official said that when this supplement was conceived, “it fit perfectly with its name – Special Supplement for Cancer Patients”, but that it has “been extended” and has undergone changes.
“At the moment, if a patient makes three trips, they are entitled to this special supplement. Resources are finite. So, I’m not saying that immediately, but perhaps to separate what is effectively an oncology patient from other types of patients. It doesn’t mean that support will be withdrawn, not at all, but rethinking the model and actually giving special support to cancer patients,” he said.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.