The municipal council of Seixal expressed concern in an official statement, emphasizing that the recent closure of local emergency services has jeopardized public health. This severe situation was somewhat mitigated by the competence and professionalism of the firefighters from the Seixal Firefighters’ Humanitarian Association.
The president of the Seixal Firefighters’ Humanitarian Association stated that their team was dispatched by the Urgent Patient Guidance Center (CODU) to assist a woman who was 37 weeks pregnant and experiencing significant contractions. She needed transport to Hospital de S. Francisco Xavier because the emergency department at Garcia de Orta Hospital in Almada was closed.
Brázio Romeira reported that an Emergency Medical and Resuscitation Vehicle (VMER) was also deployed, and the birth ultimately took place en route in the ambulance.
“It is difficult to comprehend these recurring situations, which arise due to constraints in hospital emergency services, especially at Garcia de Orta, leading to serious consequences for the people in our municipality,” commented Romeira.
On Saturday, eight emergency services were closed, escalating to ten on Sunday, primarily affecting obstetrics and gynecology departments within the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region.
According to the National Health Service (SNS) portal, the facilities shut down on Saturday comprised eight departments, six of which were for obstetrics and gynecology, in locations including Almada, Barreiro, Castelo Branco, Vila Franca de Xira, Aveiro, and Leiria, with the number increasing to ten on Sunday.
The emergency service challenges are mainly due to a shortage of specialist doctors to adequately manage shifts, an issue more prevalent during holiday periods, summer, year-end, and extended weekends.
In a statement, the mayor of Seixal strongly criticized the closure of the emergency department at Garcia de Orta Hospital, which also serves the Seixal community.
“The Seixal Municipal Council has been alerting for years about the degradation and overcrowding of Almada’s hospital, originally built to serve approximately 200,000 people and now serving over 350,000. The continuous closure of emergency services, especially obstetric delivery units, is an alarming sign that successive governments appear unwilling to acknowledge,” lamented the mayor.
Paulo Silva further argues that it is “absolutely necessary to enhance the careers of doctors and nurses to retain professionals within the National Health Service” and affirms that it is “increasingly urgent for the Seixal hospital project to move from the planning stage to construction.”
The demand for a hospital in Seixal began in 2001, fueled by numerous initiatives from healthcare user commissions, local authorities, and the “Platform Together for the Hospital,” all advocating for the hospital’s necessity in the municipality.
The Seixal Municipal Council has promised to continue lobbying the central administration to expedite the realization of a hospital facility in Seixal.
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