A delegation from the Ordem dos Médicos held a meeting today with the administration of the Amadora-Sintra Local Health Unit to assess the situation of general emergency services following the opening of the new Sintra Hospital’s basic emergency unit. The meeting comes in response to a warning issued in a letter signed by 19 doctors about the imminent risk of service disruption.
After the meeting, Luís Campos Pinheiro, treasurer of the Southern Regional Council of the Ordem dos Médicos, indicated a “communication problem” between professionals and the administration, stressing that the warning from the doctors must not be disregarded.
“This warning cannot be ignored, and this is what we conveyed to the Board of Directors. They need to communicate with the doctors, hear them, and above all, be advised by them,” he affirmed.
The Ordem dos Médicos alerted the emergency director and the clinical director of the Local Health Unit that the emergency staff is “heavily overwhelmed” and must be handled “very carefully” to prevent staff from abandoning the hospital, which needs all of them.
According to Luís Campos Pinheiro, an attempt at dialogue was made, but it has not been successful from both sides. The Ordem is available to assist in creating a “constructive dialogue” to improve working conditions for doctors and, notably, the conditions for patients.
He noted that the Board of Directors is attempting to solve the issue with a strategy, which “has not reached the doctors.”
Luís Campos Pinheiro explained that the strategy includes transferring non-urgent patients from Hospital Amadora-Sintra to the new Sintra Hospital, focusing particularly on patients admitted in the Observation Service, “a very large and substantial group.”
The Local Health Unit also plans to establish an Integrated Responsibility Center for emergencies, expected to be ready in October, offering more attractive payment options to recruit more doctors.
Luís Campos Pinheiro mentioned that the doctors with whom he spoke were unanimous in expressing their satisfaction with working in emergencies, where they feel fulfilled and remain “due to this sense of fulfillment and patient care.”
Conversely, some doctors expressed concern because “changes are occurring that were not communicated to them, or that they believed would not happen.”
“These changes are happening suddenly without prior notice, including schedule changes or changes in the workplace, which the Ordem does not agree with and cannot accept,” he stated, emphasizing that the Ordem conveyed to the administration the need for “a fruitful dialogue with the doctors.”
Luís Campos Pinheiro warned that “one cannot work against doctors who are highly professional and competent, as some measures themselves disrupt medical and emergency work.”
At the end of the meeting, Carlos Sá, president of the Amadora-Sintra Local Health Unit, said that in response to the Ordem dos Médicos’ request for clarification on Tuesday, a meeting was proposed for the following day, which took place today.
According to the Local Health Unit, collaboration with the Ordem will be crucial to jointly finding the best solutions.
In a statement, they expressed deep regret that technical and care issues might be transformed into attempts to create social alarm, stressing that the true focus should be on improving care for patients, which should be the aim of all involved parties.
