The executive director of the National Health Service (DE-SNS), António Gandra d’Almeida, was interviewed on Thursday, where he assured that all pregnant women would have “a response” next weekend, when there will be constraints in Gynecology/Obstetrics and Pediatrics emergency services, especially in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region.
“It’s important to understand that the entire population, all pregnant women and children will be attended to and there will be a response for them. That’s the most important thing, safety,” he began by saying in the interview.
The official was confronted with the emergency services being closed on August 31 and September 1, as in Lisbon only those at Cascais Hospital, Alfredo da Costa Maternity Hospital, Vila Franca de Xira, and Abrantes will be open.
“We are working to reverse some of the cases. We have open emergency services on the South Bank, which are referenced to CODU. In other words, whenever necessary, INEM calls, and if there is capacity, hospitals can receive patients. What’s important is to function as a network,” he responded.
Gandra d’Almeida emphasized that pregnant women were a population that “concerned” the sector, given the special circumstances, but what was guaranteed was a response from the NHS, even if in a network, and even if it wasn’t “in the nearest location.”
“This articulation, within the NHS, with different health units, is guaranteed. And there will be a response to all pregnant women and children who need it,” he assured.
Gandra d’Almeida was also confronted with the possibility of resorting to private healthcare and assured that these were “activated whenever necessary.”
The CEO of the NHS also revealed that around 27 pregnant women were attended to in private hospitals this summer as part of this partnership. But the official also stated that not only this population mattered, but also the rest of the population, such as the elderly, for example.
Regarding the upcoming winter, which is usually marked by peaks of respiratory infections and emergency visits, the CEO spoke about the importance of vaccination and personal protective equipment.
“The sending of schedules by hospitals is happening. We already have the vast majority,” he revealed, adding that it wasn’t just the sending of schedules that mattered, but also the network functioning.
Regarding the possibility of increasing partnerships, Gandra d’Almeida guaranteed that it would be done whenever necessary. “The NHS has been working very well, it has been giving more and more,” he praised, after saying that this was a “wealth” for the country.
“So far this year, we have had 40,000 surgeries performed,” he highlighted, speaking of the increase in public interventions.
Speaking within the scope of OncoStop 2024, a program that foresees the regularization of waiting lists for oncological surgery, the NHS CEO mentioned that currently there are no oncological patients who have exceeded the maximum recommended response time. “At the moment, we don’t have any. We do have patients without oncological pathology who have exceeded it, and we want to combat this and operate on as many patients as possible,” he stated, noting that there are about 40,000 users who have already exceeded the maximum recommended response time. “In various specialties,” he affirmed.
[News update in progress]
