Executive Management maintains a map of maternity wards with 28 emergency rooms always open – Society

Of the 43 gynecology and obstetrics emergencies in the country, 28 will operate continuously until the end of April, two will only treat referred patients and eight will have break days due to a lack of doctors, according to official data.

According to information released by the Executive Directorate of the National Health Service (DE-SNS), which decided to maintain the operating scheme that was in force in the first quarter, in the North region all 13 gynecology/obstetrics emergencies will be operating uninterruptedly. .

In the Central region, there will be seven maternity wards operating uninterruptedly, one with break days and one will have a gynecology emergency department.

In the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, the most complicated in terms of filling schedules, only three emergencies will be operating uninterruptedly, two will have referenced service – only serving users referred by other structures – and seven will have break days. The response will also have a gynecology emergency and will have three private sector units to complement the response.

In Alentejo there will be three emergency services that will operate continuously, without interruptions, and in the Algarve at least one of the two centers (Faro/Portimão) will always be open.

DE-SNS will only make changes to the operation of gynecology/obstetrics emergencies from May onwards.

The DE-SNS map indicates that in the North region, the 13 gynecology emergency services and birth centers will be operating uninterruptedly until the end of the month.

In the center of the country, at the Local Health Unit (ULS) Coimbra — Hospitals of the University of Coimbra, the gynecology service will only be open in April and at the ULS Region of Leiria, gynecology/obstetrics emergencies will be closed until the end of the month. Friday, Saturday and Sunday every 15 days.

In the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, the ULS Loures, Santa Maria, Cascais, São José and three private sector maternity hospitals will be operating uninterruptedly, under a complementary operating regime and with guidance for pregnant women to be provided by the Center for Guidance for Urgent Patients (CODU)/INEM.

With regard to private sector maternity hospitals in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region with an agreement with the National Health Service (SNS), DE-SNS emphasizes that CODU/INEM will be able to guide pregnant women in labor in these units, with more than 36 weeks of gestation, “as long as the installed capacity of the SNS is full”.

On an alternating basis (every other week) the gynecology/obstetrics emergencies at ULS Arrábida (Setúbal), Arco Ribeirinho (Barreiro) will operate, while those at ULS Almada (Seixal) and Oeste (Caldas da Rainha) will always be closed at the end of the week.

The ULS in Western Lisbon and Amadora/Sintra will only receive pregnant women sent by INEM or SNS 24 at night. This referral scheme continues at ULS Amadora/Sintra during all weekends in April.

In Alentejo, the three units (Portalegre, Évora and Beja) will always be open and in the Algarve, gynecology/obstetrics emergencies will always be open in at least one of the centers (Faro/Portimão).

DE-SNS gives a “favorable assessment” of the performance of Operation ‘Born Safely in the National Health Service’ over the last 16 months and says that the results of this strategic plan “will be continuously evaluated”.

In the note that accompanies the map of gynecology/obstetrics emergencies for the month of April, DE-SNS indicates that the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS) must adapt the SNS 24 response, “temporarily maintaining the referral of situations of gynecological pathology for the gynecology emergency service at ULS Santa Maria” and “update SNS 24 procedures to ensure adequate pre-screening of pregnant women for the referenced birth blocks”.