Loures Hospital already receives pregnant women transported by ambulance

The situation in the Obstetrics/Gynecology Emergency Service “has been normalized since 8 am”, a hospital source told Lusa.

On Sunday, a source from the Camarate Fire Department, in the municipality of Loures (Lisbon district), was informed that the birthing unit and emergency services for those specialties would not receive pregnant women transported by ambulance until 8:00 am today, with the information be transmitted to the Urgent Patients Guidance Center (CODU) for redirection to another hospital in the Lisbon region.

The restrictions on services in relation to pregnant women referred by CODU and the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) were confirmed to Lusa by the regional secretary of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo of the Independent Union of Doctors (SIM), Maria João Tiago, justifying the situation with a lack of doctors.

Maria João Tiago stated that the services were with “minimum teams” and only receiving pregnant women who traveled by their own means.

The representative said that the situation “is not new” and is related to “the lack of doctors in the National Health Service”.

“There is no shortage of doctors in the Lisbon region, but they are just not in the NHS because it is not attractive”, he said.