Dili, 13 April 2026 (Media Democracia) – A total of 510 dengue patients received treatment at Tasi-Tolu Hospital, a facility provided by the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications through the Port Authority, from January 30 to April 2026. The dengue cases have recovered, and the integrated team has withdrawn to their respective places.
Director of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services at Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNG), Vidal de Jesus Lopes stated that since January 2026, the facility has been used for dengue patients for about 71 days.
“In Tasi-tolu hospital, since January 30, 2026, we’ve been using this facility to accommodate dengue patients, for about 71 days from January 30 to now. We’ve treated around 510 patients here, with no fatalities, and a workforce of 105 providing assistance, consisting of doctors, nurses, allied health technicians, security, cleaners, and logistical support.” said Vidal de Jesus Lopes, Director of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services at HNGV.
The Director also added that the facility they used belongs to the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, offered by the Port Authority.
This facility belongs to the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, and we requested it from the Port Authority. Now, it’s been about a week since the dengue cases have been zero here. Our integrated team, consisting of HNGV, Ministry of Health, Dili Municipal Health Center, and technical teams, has collectively decided to deactivate and discontinue operations here today. We’ll withdraw all human resources, medical equipment, and support systems. This decision was made because we’ve had zero reported cases for a week, with no patients being admitted. That’s why we made this decision.” said the Director.
He also added that the health personnel are mostly human resources who were previously tested and available, and will now be redeployed to municipal health centers.
These health personnel are mostly human resources previously assigned to municipal health centers and referral hospitals. Due to the surge in dengue cases, they were deployed to HNGV to manage it. Now that the situation is under control, we’ll temporarily withdraw them back to the national hospital, and later decide on their next assignment. The National Directorate of Human Resources, Ministry of Health, will redeploy them to municipalities, and HNGV also has around 20 of its own staff involved.
The Director also added that the equipment used at Tasi-tolu hospital will be returned to their respective places
“Regarding the equipment, since it was installed at Tasi-tolu hospital, the integrated team – not just HNGV – will return HNGV’s equipment, and the National Directorate’s medical equipment will be returned to the Ministry of Health. All checklists will be redistributed according to the existing checklist. Overnight stays will still be available in case of future dengue cases.” said Vidal de Jesus Lopes.
The Executive Director said they will suggest prioritizing this facility to the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, requesting it to be available for use whenever a new outbreak occurs.
Report By: Nélia, Trainees Novita and Juliana
Photo By: Trainee Marito