The pediatric emergency department at Viseu Hospital will continue to close three nights a week in April.
The constraints began in March and will repeat themselves again this month, between 8pm and 9am the following morning, between Friday and Monday, children who need urgent care will be sent to Coimbramore than an hour away.
In March, the administration of the local health unit Viseu Dão Lafões made it known that the lack of human resources forced decision-making.
The medical team has 15 pediatricians and of these only seven under the age of 50the rest are exempt from night work, which prevents them from filling emergency schedules.
There is a competition open since 2023, but the places have so far been deserted of candidates.
The administration ensures that the closure of three nights a week It is the least possible constraint to be able to maintain, for example, the internal emergency department for users already hospitalized, as well as the delivery unit and neonatology service permanently throughout the week.
In case of immediate risk to life, the pediatric emergency room will work.
In 2023, the pediatric emergency department in Viseu received more than 35,086 users, which averages almost 100 urgent appointments daily.
