Paulo Silva expressed his views to the Lusa agency in reaction to the closure on Saturday of the maternity ward at Hospital Garcia de Orta in Almada, a facility that also serves more than 170,000 residents of the municipality of Seixal.
The Ministry of Health announced the unexpected closure on Saturday of the obstetrics and gynecology emergency unit at Hospital Garcia de Orta due to a shortage of doctors to ensure coverage, forcing patients to travel to Lisbon as there was no alternative facility in the Setúbal Peninsula.
“This weekend, unexpectedly and at the last moment, the medical service providers who regularly ensure that the population of the Setúbal Peninsula receives the service due to them declared their unavailability,” the Government explained in a statement.
Questioned by Lusa about the situation, the mayor of Seixal, in the district of Setúbal, expressed concern over the frequent closures and reduced access to medical care for pregnant women, as well as the rise he described as “frightening” in the infant mortality rate in the district.
“This is very concerning, this rise in the mortality rate, which shows that we are witnessing a civilizational regression in terms of healthcare in Portugal and the Setúbal Peninsula after so many years of effort,” he said.
Paulo Silva also noted that he remembers Portugal having one of the highest infant mortality rates in Europe before April 25th and that after investment in the area, the country achieved one of the lowest rates.
“Now we are seeing a civilizational regression with the rise in mortality rate, and it’s even more serious when the World Health Organization has prioritized maternal and neonatal health for 2025,” he stated, suggesting these figures should raise awareness.
After the unexpected closure on Saturday and limited service on Sunday, the obstetrics and gynecology emergencies at Hospital Garcia de Orta reopened to patients today.
According to the SNS portal, the emergency service reopened at 08:30, confirmed to Lusa by an official from the Almada Seixal Local Health Unit.
During Sunday and until 08:30 today, the obstetrics and gynecology emergencies received only the cases directed by the Urgent Patient Orientation Center of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM).
According to the schedules published on the SNS portal, no closure is anticipated for the Hospital Garcia de Orta service until Sunday.
Today, in the Setúbal Peninsula, the emergency units for these specialties are closed at Hospital Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Barreiro and Hospital São Bernardo in Setúbal.
Hospital Garcia de Orta, which began operations in September 1991, is part of the Almada-Seixal Local Health Unit and, according to official information, currently serves an estimated population of about 350,000 residents of the municipalities of Almada and Seixal.
