Several Gynecology, Obstetrics, and Pediatrics emergency rooms will be closed over the weekend, with five closures on Saturday, increasing to six on Sunday, as indicated by the emergency schedules published on the National Health Service Portal.
This weekend is scheduled for closures of the Obstetrics and Gynecology emergency services at Hospital Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Barreiro, Hospital Vila Franca de Xira, and Hospital Santo André in Leiria.
The schedules, checked by Lusa at noon today, also indicate that on Sunday, the Obstetrics and Gynecology emergency room at Hospital Garcia de Orta in Almada will be closed.
During the weekend, the emergency service for these specialties at Hospital São Francisco Xavier in Lisbon will only receive cases referred by the Guidance Center for Urgent Patients (CODU) of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM).
The Gynecology and Obstetrics emergency room at Hospital de Braga will also be exclusively for cases referred by INEM on Saturday (midnight to midnight) and Sunday (midnight to 8:00 am), while Hospital São Bernardo in Setúbal will be referenced on Sunday (9:00 pm to midnight).
According to the SNS Emergency Schedules, updated by the hospitals, the pediatric emergency services at Vila Franca de Xira and Beatriz Ângelo Hospital in Loures will also be closed over the weekend.
The pediatric emergency at Hospital Amadora-Sintra will be referenced for both days, between midnight and 8:00 am and between 8:00 pm and midnight, accepting only internal emergencies or cases referred by INEM or the SNS 24 line.
The schedules available on the SNS portal also show 128 emergency services open nationwide, along with about 30 gynecology and obstetrics units operating under a pilot project requiring prior contact with the SNS 24 line.
The constraints on emergency services are primarily due to a lack of specialized doctors to cover shifts, a situation more common during holiday periods such as summer and the end of the year, as well as extended weekends.
The operational difficulties of emergency services have been more noticeable in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, the region where most users also do not have an assigned family doctor.
Health authorities urge the public to contact the SNS24 line (808 24 24 24) before heading to an emergency room to receive appropriate guidance.
