Planned Closures of Emergency Services Expected During Extended Holiday
The National Health Service (SNS) Portal has confirmed that three emergency services will be closed on Labor Day. This number will increase to four on Friday and peak at nine closures on Saturday, before declining to eight on Sunday.
During this period, when many people take advantage of the holiday to extend their weekend, the accessibility to gynecology, obstetrics, and pediatrics emergency services will be notably limited, particularly over the weekend in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region.
Current emergency schedules updated by hospitals show that on Thursday, three gynecology and obstetrics emergency services will close at Fernando Fonseca Hospital (Amadora-Sintra), Hospital Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Barreiro), and Hospital Vila Franca de Xira.
On Friday, the emergency services in these specialties will be unavailable at Garcia de Orta Hospital in Almada, Amadora-Sintra Hospital, and Santarém District Hospital.
São Bernardo Hospital in Setúbal will only handle cases directed by the Emergency Patients Guidance Center (CODU) of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM).
According to the latest information consulted from the SNS Portal at 12:00 PM today, Saturday is projected to be the most challenging day, with seven gynecology and obstetrics services and two pediatric services closed.
In the Setúbal Peninsula, emergency gynecology and obstetrics services will be closed at all three hospitals: Garcia de Orta, Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Barreiro, and São Bernardo in Setúbal.
Alberto Caldas Afonso, President of the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Commission, recently highlighted the potential need for supplementary measures in Setúbal Peninsula to prevent pregnant women and newborns from needing to cross the bridge to Lisbon.
“We cannot have three local health units in the Setúbal Peninsula with obstetrics services that are mostly closed,” Afonso stated.
Alongside these closures, Saturday will also see closures at hospitals Amadora-Sintra, Vila Franca de Xira, Dr. Manoel Constâncio in Abrantes, and Caldas da Rainha District Hospital.
By Sunday, the gynecology and obstetrics emergency services at Caldas da Rainha District Hospital will reopen, but the other four will remain closed.
Pediatric emergency services at Vila Franca de Xira Hospital and Beatriz Ângelo Hospital in Loures will also be closed over the weekend.
The pediatric emergency service at Amadora-Sintra Hospital will be subject to references over the four days, admitting only internal emergency cases or those referred by INEM or the SNS 24 line between midnight and 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM and midnight.
Emergency schedules on the SNS portal indicate that approximately 130 emergency services will remain operational nationwide over the weekend, alongside about 30 gynecology and obstetrics services functioning under a pilot project requiring prior contact with the SNS 24 line.
The constraints on emergency services are primarily due to a shortage of specialist doctors to ensure coverage, a situation more prevalent during holiday seasons and extended weekends.
Health authorities urge citizens to contact the SNS24 line (808 24 24 24) for appropriate guidance before visiting an emergency service.
