A woman gave birth in the hallway of Arco Ribeirinho Local Health Unit, also known as Barreiro Hospital, on the morning of Monday, April 21, while waiting for the Maternity Ward to open.
It has been reported that the woman delivered her baby on her knees on the hospital floor after experiencing a series of strong contractions and held the baby herself until she received assistance.
The hospital confirmed that “on April 21, a pregnant term patient arrived at this hospital, where the Gynecology/Obstetrics Emergency Department was temporarily closed to the public,” and that “the birth occurred around 8:30 AM on the way to the Maternity Ward.”
“Healthcare professionals in the Obstetrics Emergency were immediately alerted and provided immediate and appropriate care, transporting the patient to the Maternity Ward and ensuring the necessary care for both mother and child,” stated the ULSAR Board of Directors. They added that the pregnant woman had not made any “prior contact with the SNS 24 Line,” as required by the new SNS regulations, and had directly gone to the general emergency.
Despite the “Gynecology/Obstetrics Emergency Department being temporarily closed to the outside,” hospital officials assured that “specialized healthcare professionals remain on duty to respond to internal and emerging situations, as happened this Monday.”
The new mother was understandably alarmed by the situation. However, both she and the baby, who weighed nearly 3.5 kg at birth, are in good health and recovering from the delivery.
