PS leadership candidate José Luís Carneiro presented this Sunday a series of social measures to support especially the elderly and the homeless and criticized Luís Montenegro for “now promising everything and everyone”.
“I saw that now [referindo-se a propostas apresentadas no sábado pelo líder do PSD] make proposals to improve pensions. I remember that the PPD/PSD, when it was still in government, wanted to reduce pensions by 600 million (…). Fortunately, the Portuguese have a good memory,” said José Luís Carneiro.
In Porto, spoke with journalists and after lunch with the president of the National Confederation of Solidarity Institutions (CNIS), Lino Maia, and with the ombudsman of the União das Misericórdias Portuguesas (UMP), Manuel Lemos, the candidate for the leadership of the socialists presented a series of social proposals.
When asked whether he did this today after Luís Montenegro announced on Saturday that he wants to increase the minimum income of pensioners to 820 euros in 2028, José Luís Carneiro guaranteed that he does not follow the PSD, a party that: he said: “has cuts that the PS had to replace.”
“The Portuguese remember that then [Luís Montenegro] he was a parliamentary leader, he defended policies that we were completely against, from cuts to pensions, cuts to salaries, and the call for young people and teachers to leave the country. We are in a PS government, which I am proud to be part of, which has restored salaries, restored pensions, increased incomes and promoted the largest increase in the minimum wage since our country has ever existed. ”said the candidate for the office of Secretary General of the PS.
And he insisted: ‘The Portuguese know, more than I, the value of the words of those who appeared yesterday [sábado] in a legal revision congress that served to promise everything and everyone at the same time”.
Previously, José Luís Carneiro presented a series of social measures, including the signing of an agreement with social institutions to guarantee a 50% increase in the capacity for consultations, operations and diagnostic examinations.
The candidate for PS leader also wants to resume the ‘Voltar a Casa’ program, which targets elderly people in hospitals due to a lack of family support.
“There is capacity so that within six months we can guarantee the return of 300 elderly people to their homes with the support of private social solidarity institutions,” he said.
This concerns a program that had already been launched, but was ‘stalled’ by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Another proposal by José Luís Carneiro concerns guaranteeing hospital response for the elderly living in institutions and creating hospital teams that travel to homes and institutions to provide medical support to the elderly, avoiding having to go to hospitals at night and in very difficult situations can go. ‘difficult’ for example.
José Luís Carneiro also spoke about the “importance of an articulated and networked response to mental health and dementia” and whether measures should be taken “as quickly as possible” for people experiencing homelessness.
“It’s becoming more and more of a major problem. I received very alarming figures today. Every week there are about forty more citizens on the streets,” he said.
The candidate defended that investments would be made “in dialogue with the Episcopal Conference” to rehabilitate the various facilities of the District Diocesan Centers to welcome people who have this need.
So far, three candidates have been nominated for the socialist direct elections on December 15 and 16: the current Minister of the Interior, José Luís Carneiro, the former Minister of Infrastructure Pedro Nuno Santos and Daniel Adrião, leader of the minority line opposed to the current general. secretary, António Costa.
Source: DN
