The administration of the Local Health Unit Amadora-Sintra (ULSASI) has released a statement revealing the absence of a fully integrated clinical information system that allows automatic sharing of medical data between different services. This issue meant that only late yesterday could it be confirmed that the patient had been under primary healthcare monitoring at ULSASI since July 2025, specifically at the Personal Health Care Unit (UCSP) of Agualva.
According to the hospital administration, the woman had two pregnancy monitoring consultations on July 14 and August 14. She subsequently visited the obstetrics department at Hospital Fernando Fonseca in Amadora on September 17 and October 29, the latter just two days before her death.
The ULS administration pointed out that the information regarding the monitoring since July was communicated today to the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins. The minister’s statements at the Assembly of the Republic, where she claimed the woman had not received prior monitoring, were based on information from the ULSASI, which referred to the specific incident leading up to the fatal outcome on October 31 at Hospital Fernando Fonseca.
The woman’s family had previously assured SIC and CMTV that the pregnancy was being monitored at that health unit.
On the day the 38-week pregnant woman passed away, Diogo Bruno, the director of the obstetric and gynecological emergency service at Hospital Amadora-Sintra, stated that she was in cardiorespiratory arrest upon arrival and received immediate resuscitation efforts as per protocol.
The ULSASI noted that the pregnant woman had visited the hospital on Wednesday for a routine appointment, where she was asymptomatic except for mild hypertension.
The woman was referred to the emergency room as a precaution, where pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication, was ruled out. She was discharged with instructions to return for admission at 39 weeks of gestation.
The director noted that the woman, originally from Guinea-Bissau, had recently arrived in Portugal and was referred to the obstetric specialty consultation for a near-term pregnancy.
According to the SNS24 website, the normal duration of pregnancy ranges from 37 to 42 weeks, with the due date estimated at 40 weeks. A baby born before 37 weeks is considered premature.
Diogo Bruno mentioned that the board of directors has initiated an internal inquiry to investigate the circumstances of this case and assured that outcomes of the inquiry will follow.
The Health Activities Inspection-General has also ordered an inquiry to assess the care provided to the pregnant woman, and the Health Regulatory Agency announced the opening of an evaluation process with the same objective.
On Saturday morning, the baby born from the emergency cesarean passed away, a day after the mother’s death.
