Aníbal Furtado Lima

Dr Aníbal Furtado Lima passed away on 9 November 2007, at the Clínica do Bom Jesus in Ponta Delgada, at the age of 80. He was one of the most charismatic and influential Azorean doctors of the 20th century. Born on 6 May 1927 in Vila Franca do Campo, he attended the then Liceu Nacional Antero de Quental in the city of Ponta Delgada, where he completed his secondary education and was awarded the Antero de Quental Prize. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon in 1951, and in that same year, applied for a residency at the Civil Hospitals of Lisbon, where he specialised in General Surgery and achieved 1st place in the competitive entrance examination for the Complementary Surgery Internship. He returned to the island of São Miguel and, in 1957, took up the post of sub-delegate of the newly established Maternal Institute of Ponta Delgada, while simultaneously serving as a general surgeon at the Hospital of Ponta Delgada, where he remained as Director of the Surgery Department of the 5th Ward until 1978.

He set out to achieve his dream of building a private clinic and, on 9 June 1966, the Clínica do Bom Jesus was inaugurated as a private health unit located in the city of Ponta Delgada, considered a model for the entire country, into which he poured all his effort and resources. With the spirit of generosity that was his trademark, he donated the clinic to the Diocese of Angra in 1979, yet continued to lead its operations until August 1986. From that point forward, he continued to serve there solely in his capacity as a medical surgeon. For his services to the community, the Ponta Delgada City Council named a street after him in the parish of São José and awarded him the Municipal Medal of Merit in 1998. He was also decorated with the insignia of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit on 8 June 2007, during the presidency of Aníbal Cavaco Silva. The Parish Council of Santa Clara distinguished him posthumously with the “Honour of Santa Clara” award, in recognition of his lifelong work and the contribution he left to the Michaelense community. His funeral took place on 10 November at 10:00 am, with a Eucharistic celebration at the Church of São José, following his transfer from the Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Dores, where he had been lying in state, proceeding then to the São Joaquim Cemetery.