This weekend, the obstetrics and gynecology emergency services at Hospital Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Barreiro and Hospital São Bernardo in Setúbal were reported closed, requiring patients from the southern margin to seek services at Garcia de Orta, according to the National Health Service (SNS) Portal.
However, the Ministry of Health disclosed later in the evening that the Garcia de Orta Hospital emergency unit would also be closed due to a shortage of healthcare professionals.
With the closure of all three emergency obstetrics/gynecology services, “all patients are being redirected to Lisbon hospitals,” stated the Ministry of Health in a note sent to Lusa.
The authorities assure that the SNS Executive Directorate is monitoring the situation “to ensure that pregnant women in need of medical attention are transported and treated safely.”
The ministry indicated that the unexpected closure of the Garcia de Orta Hospital obstetrics and gynecology emergency unit resulted from a lack of professionals: “This weekend, without any prior indication, service providers who usually ensure that the populations of the Setúbal Peninsula have the necessary services, have expressed their unavailability,” it explained.
The administration recalls that ULS Almada/Seixal had confirmed an ongoing process of hiring doctors to ensure the regular operation of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Emergency Unit and had already recruited some professionals, with others “in the process of being hired.”
The Hospital Garcia de Orta has been maintaining all emergency shifts with full-time doctors as well as relying on some service providers, who have now shown unavailability.
The Ministry of Health recalls that the Government recently announced new legislation “intended to end injustices and privileges of some temporary workers who, despite being paid significantly more than their SNS colleagues, do not commit to schedules they deem less convenient.”
This year, according to the Ministry of Health, there have been “significant improvements” in the operation of pediatric, obstetric, and gynecological emergencies, with “regular announcements of the closure of three or four emergencies instead of eight or nine as occurred last year.”
