The President of the Republic considered the closure of the emergency obstetric services to be of concern, but responded that it is a “specific critical point” and that the health system must be viewed globally.
This position was assumed by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in London, after being questioned by journalists about the closure of emergency obstetric services in Portugal.
In response, the head of state played down the importance and said that there was “a critical situation this long weekend in some obstetric services.”
“This happens and, of course, it continues to be a cause for concern. But this is a specific critical point. We have to look at these specific points, which have to do with another, which is primary care, analyzing the system as a whole and introducing the necessary changes to adapt it to reality”, he added.
The Braga Hospital confirmed today that it will close on Sunday, and for 24 hours, the obstetrics urgency “due to the impossibility of completing scales”, but guarantees that “it is working” so that “the response is guaranteed” with other units.
Braga Hospital confirms that the gynecology and obstetrics emergencies will remain closed on Sunday
In a statement sent to the Lusa agency, the board of directors of the Braga Hospital confirms part of the information released this morning by the Independent Doctors’ Union (SIM), noting that due to the “impossibility of completing the necessary work schedules, the The gynecology and obstetrics emergency service will be closed from 08:00 on Sunday until 08:00 on Monday.
“For its part, the board of directors does not confirm the closure of this service on June 18,” reads the statement, in which the management of this hospital facility guarantees that it is making “every effort” to overcome this situation.
The Hospital of Braga emphasizes that it is committed to “maintaining the provision of health care on a regular basis to pregnant and giving birth women in the region”.
“Simultaneously, [o conselho de administração] It reinforces that work is being done in coordination with other hospitals in the region, so that the response to users is guaranteed by the network of institutions of the National Health Service (SNS)”, he concludes.
SIM announced today, also in a statement, that the Braga Hospital will close the obstetric emergency on Sunday due to the lack of doctors to guarantee the scale.
“Instead of the five necessary gynecologists/obstetricians, Braga Hospital has only two doctors on the scale for June 12, either day or night,” SIM says in a statement.
In the text, the union said that the scenario could be repeated next week, stating that there will be “several days with the scale below the minimum number of gynecologists/obstetricians necessary for a differentiated perinatal support hospital with more than 2,500 deliveries” . .annual”.
On June 18, YES noted, “there will once again be only two gynecologists/obstetricians scheduled at night, a situation that will inevitably lead to a new closure of the obstetric emergency.”
For SIM, this is the “unfortunate result of the Government’s inability to attract and retain doctors in the SNS, offering them working conditions and remuneration appropriate to their level of responsibility.”
The problems of lack of doctors to guarantee emergency scales extend to other hospitals in the country, specifically in the regions of Lisbon and the Tagus Valley.
The Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Health Administration (ARSLVT) warned on Friday that limitations in the operation of obstetrics and gynecology services will continue until Monday in several hospitals in the Lisbon region.
“Despite all the efforts made, it was not possible to overcome the limitations in the operation of some Gynecology and Obstetrics services in the Region” during the holidays (until Monday), the ARSLVT said in a statement.
The response to users, he stresses, “will be guaranteed by the SNS network in the region, with deviations in the response to the external emergency service.”
In accordance with the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo ARS, there will be restrictions on emergency/urgent care in Gynecology or Obstetrics at the Beatriz Ângelo Hospital (HBA) from 08:00 today until 08:00 on Monday, being the attention assured by the other hospitals of the region”.
The health administration in Lisbon also highlights that “if there is a need to refer users, the hospital teams coordinate with CODU/INEM, to identify the unit that has the best response capacity at that time” and recalls that this practice de “The operation of the hospital network is carried out throughout the year, but is especially relevant in periods of greatest demand for services or during vacation periods for health professionals”.
On Friday, the case of a pregnant woman who lost her baby was known, presumably due to a lack of obstetricians at the Caldas da Rainha hospital.
Contacted by Lusa, the Ministry of Health said it was “aware that, due to limitations in the obstetric gynecology scale, impossible to attend to, the external urgency of the Centro Hospitalar do Oeste was diverted to other points of the National Health Service network. Health”.
The Ministry says that it is “following up the issue, in particular the evolution of the clinical situation of the user who is hospitalized, who is stable and who will be given psychological support.”
In addition to “deeply regretting” what happened, the Ministry of Health points out that, “in order to determine each and every one of the responsibilities, the investigation of the facts has already begun by the General Inspection of Sanitary Activities (IGAS) ” and concludes that, “pending the investigation, the results of which will be made public, it is not possible to establish any relationship between the two events.”
Source: Observadora
