Presidential candidate António Filipe described the incident involving the death of a pregnant woman and her baby at Amadora-Sintra Hospital as serious, along with the reaction from Health Minister Ana Paula Martins.
Speaking to journalists in Funchal, the candidate supported by the PCP highlighted that the woman “was monitored by the National Health Service, contrary to what the Health Minister claimed in parliament.”
“Therefore, it is particularly serious, not only the incident itself but also the way the Health Minister reacted to it,” António Filipe stated after a meeting with the representative of the Republic for Madeira, Ireneu Barreto, at the Palace of São Lourenço.
The presidential candidate deemed “unacceptable” the increasing number of cases where babies are born in ambulances, private cars, or even at a hospital reception, adding that these reports are compounded by “budgetary projections for the coming year with cuts to the National Health Service.”
“In such a deteriorated situation, the prospect of cuts in funding for the National Health Service is extremely worrying. Therefore, I believe that presidential candidates cannot remain indifferent to this and should speak out,” he said.
António Filipe stressed that, regardless of who is responsible for oversight, “there must be an investment policy in the National Health Service, as the Constitution requires, and the Portuguese do as well,” emphasizing that the public recognizes the importance of the NHS “in solving their problems.”
The candidate, currently on a two-day visit to Madeira, began today by paying respects to the president of the Regional Legislative Assembly, Rubina Leal, and noted that the meeting with Ireneu Barreto was “courteous” with “no substantial topics discussed” during the encounter.
Regarding the role of the representative of the Republic, which various political parties argue should be abolished, the communist candidate considers the position appropriate, noting he does not support “a constitutional review to change the characteristics of this constitutional figure.”
On Tuesday, António Filipe is scheduled to meet with the União dos Sindicatos da Madeira in the morning, followed by an afternoon engagement with workers at the Câmara do Funchal’s Viveiros station.
