A motion against the closure of the neonatal service at Hospital Dona Estefânia, proposed by the municipal group of the PCP, was voted on by points and approved, with most abstentions from PSD, IL, CDS-PP, and Chega.
Natacha Amaro, a PCP deputy, stated the motion arose following the announcement confirmed by the São José Local Health Unit of the “definitive closure” of the neonatal service at Hospital Dona Estefânia, with all neonatal care being transferred to Alfredo da Costa Maternity (MAC) and the potential relocation of some newborns to Santa Maria Hospital.
“If this reorganization proposal by the Government [PSD/CDS-PP] is implemented, the MAC service will not accommodate the combined capacity of the two existing services, reducing effective response in a highly sensitive and demanding area,” said the communist, noting that MAC already faces frequent constraints and lacks capacity to handle an “abrupt increase in cases.”
Amaro emphasized that the neonatal service at Hospital Dona Estefânia is “highly specialized,” featuring intensive and intermediate care beds, alongside its own diagnostic and surgical units, hence “its daily operation is essential for babies with high clinical complexity.”
According to the PCP, the announced closure would limit response capacity and jeopardize the safety, quality, and continuity of care for newborns “in a country where more than 6,000 babies are born prematurely each year.”
The Lisbon Municipal Assembly decided, with abstentions from PSD, IL, CDS-PP, and Chega, and votes in favor from PS, Livre, BE, PCP, PEV, and PAN, to demand the maintenance of the neonatal service at Hospital Dona Estefânia, “reinforcing it with the necessary means for its full operation,” and to express the need to value healthcare professionals by revising careers and salary conditions, thereby improving their working conditions and consequently, the NHS.
With votes against from IL and abstentions from PSD, CDS-PP, and Chega, deputies further demanded the Government prioritize the continuity of investment in the NHS as a state priority, ensuring public service and the population’s right to healthcare access, “taking immediate measures to reverse the NHS degradation process.”
The closure possibility was reported by the media on November 18. On that day, Health Minister Ana Paula Martins clarified to journalists that the unit’s closure “is not planned” and that a “response organization project” is being developed.
“With two neonatal units, one at Estefânia and another at Alfredo da Costa Maternity, and given the lack of human resources in the NHS, particularly in maternal-infant and neonatology specialties, there’s a project for [their] organization into a single hub,” the minister explained.
The 2025-2029 Lisbon Municipal Assembly, comprising 75 deputies, includes ten municipal groups: PS (24), PSD (22), IL (six), Chega (six), PCP (five), CDS-PP (four), Livre (three), BE (two), PEV (two), and PAN (one).
