Hospital de Ponta Delgada ensures that “patient safety is guaranteed”

The clinical management and board of directors of the hospital in Ponta Delgada in the Azores said this Friday that “patient safety is guaranteed” and that emergency care schedules are “secured until December 7th”.

“The hospital’s management and board of directors state that patient safety is guaranteed with the presented scale of urgency and with the presence of two surgeons on duty. As has always been the case in this hospital,” reads a clarification sent by the largest medical unit. Azores, in response to questions from the Lusa agency.

According to the administration of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo (HDES), the urgency scale presented represents “a situation that has happened many times over the weekend, with a surgeon in physical presence and another in prophylaxis.”

In a note, the clinical management and board of directors also confirm that the scale is “guaranteed until December 7th,” adding that this was information “passed on to the President of the Azores Regional Government.”

The Board of Directors also refers to being surprised by the “press conference of (another) Order of Physicians” in the Azores, lamenting the situation, which “may contribute to increasing social anxiety among the population”, after the “journey of dialogue” had already begun ”, initiated by the President of the Government of the Azores, Jose Manuel Bolheiro, with representatives of the trade unions of doctors.

The administration also indicates that “the protocol of negotiations” that is taking place between the regional government and the medical unions has been observed “in establishing bridges that can contribute to the resolution of this dispute.”

The HDES clinical leadership and board of directors also indicate that they remain “fully available and open to dialogue” with all service leaders and are “committed to overcoming” a situation that is “unfortunately also happening in other hospitals across the country.”

“We stand in solidarity with the demand for better conditions for everyone who does SRS. [Serviço Regional de Saúde], but we are aware that we exist for Azorean citizens. And it is better to serve the needy, the sick,” they write.

Regarding the statements of HDES Director of General Surgery Maria Ines Leite, who resigned on Thursday, the Board of Directors of the Ponta Delgada Hospital specifies that the clinical director has met with the person in charge “many times” and “always showed the greatest openness to cooperation.”

After this clarification was sent to Luz by the health department, the regional government announced that the President of the administration of the Hospital do Divino, Espirito Santo, submitted his resignation this Friday, which was accepted by the President of the Government of the Azores.

Also this Friday, 21 of the 25 service directors of the Hospital de Ponta Delgada resigned, according to physician Emanuel Diaz, who told Lusa, given that the president of the regional government had been “misled” by the administration about the scales.

According to Emanuel Diaz, a spokesman for the retired Directors of Clinical Services, the list of attendants at the Hospital do Divino Espirito Santo (HDES) “is empty and is being filled by the current board of directors, which has not been reached.”

Emanuel Diaz stated that “what the president of the government of the Azores said was a lie”, given that “the board of directors deceived him because the scales are not full”.

On Thursday, the head of the Order of Physicians in the Azores, Margarida Moura, denounced the lack of conditions for patient care at the Ponta Delgada hospital, namely in general surgery, whose director of service has resigned.

Doctors from the region’s three public hospitals (Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroismo and Horta) said in a petition sent to Regional Government President José Manuel Boleiro, Executive Vice President Artur Lima and Regional Secretary of Health and Sports Clelio Meneses, his inability to work overtime beyond the legal limit of 150 hours, which could jeopardize emergency services as early as December.

These are statements by the Vice President of the Government of the Azores, who has already stated that he “had no intention of insulting the doctors” when he spoke of overtime, after criticism from PAN, BE and PS in the regional parliament. .

On Wednesday, the President of the Government of the Azores (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) confirmed the resignation of 10 emergency service chiefs at the hospital in Ponta Delgada, but ensured that the “emergency schedules of the three hospitals” are certain next week.