The Health Regulatory Authority (ERS) has concluded that the Centro Hospitalar do Tâmega e Sousa (CHTS) violated the legal framework by preventing family members from contacting a covid-19 patient in 2022, the regulator said on Tuesday.
“It was determined that, despite the persistent efforts of the user’s relatives to be able to contact her or interact with her in any way, PTS, from the date the user tested positive for covid-19 until the day of his death, he did not allow any visit, nor any other contact through remote means,” reads the conclusion, published in the 4th quarter of last year and published on Tuesday.
The position of the regulator was based on a complaint filed by the patient’s relatives in connection with the events that occurred in January of that year.
The Regulator considers that the Padre Américo Hospital in Peñafiel (Porto), where the user was admitted, “not only did not guarantee the user’s right to follow-up, but did not even guarantee humane care and respect for the user”.
He adds that “in addition to declining family members’ requests to visit or contact the user, he did not provide them with adequate information about the patient’s clinical condition, even keeping silent about the severity of the situation, which contributed greatly to the dismay and outrage of those family members when they received the news of his death.
In connection with this finding, ERS notes that “instructions have been given to the Centro Hospitalar Tâmega e Sousa to guarantee at all times the provision of medical care with respect for humanity and respect for users, respecting in particular their right to be accompanied.”
CHTS was also advised to “at all times ensure that the companion has the right to receive appropriate information and within a reasonable time frame about the situation of the respective accompanying patient at various stages of care.”
Lusa has asked CHTS to respond to the ERS decision, but has yet to receive a response.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.