ALENTEJO - Education, health and culture
The Alentejo region has one university (the University of Évora), two private higher education establishments (Beja) and seven polytechnic establishments (the colleges of nursing of Beja, Évora and Portalegre; the higher education establishments of Beja and Portalegre; the College of Technology and Business Studies of Portalegre and the College of Agriculture of Beja). The education institutions are backed up by a growing number of vocational training schools which, with the former, provide a varied spectrum of options for education and vocational training.
The handicap of distance
Services to the community in the Alentejo may be considered from two viewpoints: one related to the population served and another linked with the area covered by existing facilities. This means that facilities are located in the main urban centres, causing accessibility problems which affect the populations living in the rural areas in particular. Supplies of the main services (health, education, social security, culture and sport) are concentrated in the main urban centres. Health is one of the most sensitive sectors in the region since, for specialised treatment, in a network of 10 hospitals only three (Beja, Évora and Portalegre) have an adequate range of facilities. The people of the Alentejo must consequently travel an average of 43 km to get hospital treatment, and the distance can be over 100 km. Although the health situation in the Alentejo has improved in the past few years, it is still far from satisfactory as a result of certain disparities at sub-regional level. The high mortality rate is explained by the population's high average age. On the other hand, the infant and prenatal mortality rates, which in the early 1980s were particularly high, are now at a fairly acceptable level and close to the national average.
This region is rich in history and historical monuments, with traces of man from all the ages of history, in the form of numerous dolmens, menhirs, cromlechs, forts, castles, churches, monasteries and manor houses. There are very few villages that have no castle to symbolise their origin. This makes the Alentejo Portugal's mediaeval treasure house.
If information is available, please add comments on the following subjects:
- Hospitals, doctors, health facilities
- Libraries, museums, art galleries, etc.
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