The initiative aims to reduce the number of births occurring in ambulances, particularly by ensuring thorough monitoring of pregnancies. “If there is one area where we have excelled in the past 45 years, it is maternal and child health,” stated the minister at the end of a visit to the Hospital de Santa Cruz, part of the Lisbon West Local Health Unit.
When asked about recent reports of births in ambulances, totaling around fifty last year, Ana Paula Martins acknowledged that babies have historically been born in ambulances due to unavoidable circumstances.
“However, this is certainly not our objective,” she emphasized.
Ana Paula Martins also responded to critiques from the former executive director of the National Health Service, asserting that the emergency and health transformation plan had not failed. “The plan is underway, and a significant portion of the proposed measures have already been achieved,” the minister highlighted.
In an interview, Fernando Araújo had called for Ana Paula Martins’ resignation.
“I understand that the former executive director, who resigned and left the executive leadership, seemingly did not have a plan either—or at least, I don’t recognize it,” retorted the minister.
“It’s surprising that the former executive director now appears so frequently when he hardly appeared during his tenure, often delegating his presence. Now he seems to be giving interviews daily,” the minister remarked, challenging the current PS list leader for Porto’s circle: “I would like him to debate with Dr. Paulo Rangel and not abandon debates, which is what he did.”
Concerning the recurring closure of emergency services, the minister admitted concern about the Setúbal Peninsula but insisted that professionals are continuously available for hospital emergencies, even when specific services lack response capacity.
The minister visited the Hospital de Santa Cruz today, to mark the unit’s 45th anniversary and to unveil a new system that allows professionals to record equipment usage without manual input efforts.
