There were no reported issues with the SNS 24 Line on July 2 and 3. The maximum waiting time for pregnant users was 73 seconds between 11:00 p.m. on July 2 and 2:00 a.m. on July 3, according to the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS).
On Thursday, a 31-week pregnant woman at risk lost her baby after being directed to a hospital over an hour away from her residence.
The woman from Barreiro attempted to reach the SNS 24 health line without success while all obstetric emergencies on the south bank were closed, later being taken to Cascais Hospital.
Following an audit of the SNS 24 system, two calls were registered from the woman’s phone number: the first to the “SNS Pregnant Line” at 1:20 a.m., which disconnected after a 41-second wait.
The second call was made to the “Breathing Problems” option at 1:23 a.m., ending at 1:28 a.m.
The SPMS reported that the user was later attended to at 1:30 a.m. through a call transferred by INEM’s Urgent Patient Guidance Center (CODU).
“The SNS 24 line performed triage according to the current algorithm, approved by the National Commission for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health, resulting in a referral to the obstetric emergency service,” stated the source.
According to the SPMS, the obstetric emergency service covering the woman’s location – in Barreiro – at the time of the call was the Local Health Unit Santa Maria.
“The user was therefore referred to Hospital Santa Maria,” they confirmed.
Afterward, the pregnant woman contacted INEM again at 1:47 a.m., which dispatched the necessary resources, and she was transported to Cascais.
The Ministry of Health denied today that assistance was refused to the pregnant woman, ensuring that she was accompanied by an INEM doctor during the journey from Barreiro to Cascais Hospital.
“At all times, access to healthcare was ensured, concluding that the response provided to the user, both by the SNS Pregnant Line and by INEM, was consistent with the current referral and access protocols,” assured the ministry in a statement.
This incident marks the second case in a few days of a pregnant woman losing her baby after seeking emergency assistance.
The other case involves a woman treated in five SNS hospital units over 13 days, complaining of pain, with the delivery occurring at the Local Health Unit (ULS) of Santa Maria in Lisbon on June 22, where “shortly after, the newborn died.”
In a statement, the Executive Board of the National Health Service (DE-SNS) explained that at all hospitals where the pregnant woman was seen, she “was assessed in a timely manner by qualified health professionals, subjected to necessary tests and evaluations, and received the considered appropriate guidance.”
