The Centro Hospitalar Leiria EPE (CHL) is composed of three health units that emerged, in a first phase of the merger between the Hospital de Santo André, EPE (HSA) located in Leiria and the District Hospital of Pombal (HDP) located in Pombal following Decree-Law no. 30/2011 of 2 March, and in a second phase, in accordance with Decree-Law no. 116/2013, of the integration of Hospital Bernardino Lopes de Oliveira, located in Alcobaça. The merger of these three health units in Centro Hospitalar aimed to promote the restructuring of the hospital park in a logic of integration and complementarity, concentration of resources and compatibility of strategic designs. In this sense and based on criteria of demographic homogeneity, complementary assistance and the existence of protocols and circuits of collaboration, the aforementioned merger proceeded. The CHL has an area of influence that covers a population of around 400,000 inhabitants (residents in the municipalities of Alcobaça, Batalha, Leiria, Marinha Grande, Porto de Mós, Nazaré, Pombal, Pedrógão Grande, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Castanheira de Pêra, Ansião, Alvaiázere and part of the municipalities of Ourém and Soure). Within the scope of the execution of its mission of providing health care to the population in its area of influence, the CHL articulates, through a referral system under development and improvement, with the health centers existing in that geographical area, with the other hospitals of the National Health Service, of the District and central of Coimbra and with the institutions integrated in the integrated continuous care network, in a perspective of rationalization, complementarity and hierarchy of the care system; likewise supports and collaborates, often through the signing of specific protocols, with the other private or social units integrated in the National Health System, through the acquisition or provision of services, or with other institutions whose activities are interconnected with the mission of the Hospital Center.
History
Since the Middle Ages, there have been several Institutions in Leiria that would provide assistance to patients. During that time, Leiria had at least nine hospitals, which merged or even disappeared to make way for the current Santo André Hospital. At that time, hospitals accumulated several functions, such as providing support to pilgrims, collecting the poor in addition to treating the sick. These hospitals were always linked to the Church and were run by religious.
The first hospital known to us was called Albergaria de Nossa Senhora de Todos os Santos (1222) and had the function of wrapping pilgrims and maintained three beds for men and two for women. In 1544, the first Hospital da Misericórdia appears, located next to the Igreja da Misericórdia.
In 1800 a new Hospital da Misericórdia was inaugurated, which was built by Bishop D. Manuel de Aguiar and which would give rise to the District Hospital of Leiria, whose building still exists. After the implantation of the Republic and by governmental determination, it became known as Hospital Dom Manuel de Aguiar. This designation was maintained until 1974 when Decree-Law 704 gave it the name of District Hospital of Leiria. In 1995, the current Hospital de Santo André appears to be able to better serve the population since the previous building was very dilapidated and there was a lack of space. This modern hospital unit is equipped with state-of-the-art technical and human resources in order to be able to perform efficiently the tasks that are entrusted to it.
The Hospital was renamed Santo André due to a ministerial order.
Although several centuries have passed since the appearance of the first hospital, some values that presided over the creation of the first remain current, such as solidarity and respect for suffering.