“The chamber approved the new generation PDM (Municipal Director Plan), which provides for the building of a hospital infrastructure and health equipment, in an area near the Nobel International School”, said the mayor in an interview with The Portugal News.

"So far, before the approval of the PDM it was not possible to build, but now with these new rules it is possible. At the moment it is in the hands of the promoter to formalise it," he added.

According to a project presented to the Chamber, “it is going to be a big hospital. The promoters are foreigners and intend to have an international medical team. They will certainly need to hire locally, but according to the project that was presented to us, they also have teams of foreign doctors who come for surgeries and consultations on certain days”.

With more than 20 percent of the population living in Lagoa being foreign, the mayor also admitted that the new private hospital will be very important for the council and for the entire expat community that lives there.