A difficult weekend is expected for access to healthcare: 11 emergency services will be closed this Saturday and 13 on Sunday. According to the National Health Service, the Greater Lisbon area has the most difficult situation, with nine departments closed on Sunday. At the São Bernardo Hospital (Setúbal), the obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatrics emergency departments are closed. At the Garcia de Orta Hospital (Almada), there is no gynaecology or obstetrics department. The same specialty is available at Fernando Fonseca (Amadora), San Francisco Xavier (Lisbon) and Beatriz Angelo (Loures). At this last hospital, the paediatric emergency department is also closed on Sunday, as is the case at Rainha Santa Isabel in Torres Novas. In Santa Maria, Lisbon, the obstetrics emergency department is closed.
In the rest of the country, four more emergency departments are closed on Sunday. In the north, the pediatric emergency department is closing in Chaves. In the center, the obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics emergency departments at the Santo André Hospital (Leiria) are closed. And further south, the Portimao Hospital has no obstetrics and gynecology emergency department.
The NHS has published emergency timetables until next Wednesday, with emergency departments expected to close every day of the week. The closures are the result of a shortage of doctors, which has been worsening this month, with many specialists taking furlough and more refusing to work overtime.
Author: Joao Saramago
Source: CM Jornal
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