Health Inspection archived the case of the death of an elderly woman in the emergency department of the Penafiel hospital – Society

The General Inspection of Health Activities archived the case regarding the death of an elderly woman, in January, in the emergency room of the Penafiel hospital, as “all possible health care was provided”, it was announced this Wednesday.

“It was possible to conclude that all possible health care was provided by the Emergency Service of Hospital Padre Américo of ULS do Tâmega e Sousa to the user mentioned in the news broadcast on January 4, 2024, in various media”, reads a clarification from the Inspector General of the General Inspection of Health Activities sent to the Lusa agency.

It is also stated that, “as it was considered that there were no other measures that could be carried out by this General Inspectorate, the aforementioned clarification process was archived”.

The clarification process had been opened by that entity, after news in several media outlets about the death, on January 2, of an elderly woman in the emergency room of the Penafiel hospital while waiting on a stretcher for observation.

One day after her death, in a statement sent to Lusa, the Penafiel hospital, in the Porto district, indicated that the elderly woman, around 80 years old, screened with an orange bracelet, was “at the end of her life”.

“This was a patient at the end of her life and without clinical criteria for any invasive resuscitation maneuver”, said the ULSTS in the statement.

Serving a population of around half a million people, from 11 municipalities, Hospital Padre Américo, together with Hospital de São Gonçalo (Amarante), is part of the ULSTS.