The Executive Directorate of the National Health Service (DE-SNS) announced on Monday that 43 emergency gynecology and obstetrics services will be operating in the first quarter of the year, of which 28 are “on continuous duty”.
On the map of the network of emergency services for gynecology and obstetrics for the 1st quarter of 2024, DE-SNS indicates that of the 28 emergency services that will operate continuously every day of the week, 13 are in the North zone, seven in the Center, three in the Lisbon region and Tagus Valley (LVT), three in the Alentejo and “at least one” in the Algarve.
The organization explains that despite the problems, “the SNS network worked and solutions were found safely and efficiently.”
“There was not a single pregnant woman without an answer, all the most difficult births were carried out in the SNS and, barring any specific case due to shortcomings in the use of the system, the answer was always close,” he claims.
According to DE-SNS, by the end of November 2023, 60,613 babies were born, which is 1,442 more than registered for the same period last year.
“(…) If we look at the period from June to November, the most critical time due to specialist holidays and the impact of the above-mentioned 150-hour restrictions per year, SNS continued to carry out more births this year than last year. year (34,274 in 2023 versus 33,903 in 2022),” he emphasizes.
The strategic plan now known, taking into account the generalization of the local medical units (ULS), determines that in the Greater Lisbon area the maternity hospitals of the ULS São José (Cascais Hospital Dr. José de Almeida and the Alfredo da Costa Maternity Hospital) and the Loures-Odivelas ULS (which ceases to close on weekends every two weeks) will operate uninterruptedly.
In turn, the maternity hospital at the ULS of the Tagus Estuary (Hospital de Vila Franca de Xira) will be closed on weekends, from Friday to Sunday, with alternating closures and closures on odd weekends during the month of January and even on weekends. during February and March.
The ULS Santa Maria maternity unit will be closed for work in the first quarter of the year. The team of this institution will respond to emergency care in the capital’s gynecology every day of the week.
The ULS Maternity Center in West Lisbon (Hospital de S. Francisco Xavier) will now operate as an emergency gynecology/obstetrics service and maternity hospital, open during the day and providing care from 22 weeks of pregnancy. link from INEM/SNS24, at night.
The Amadora/Sintra ULS will also have the same service as the West Lisbon ULS, but at night and all weekends (Saturday and Sunday).
In the Setúbal Peninsula, the maternity wards of the ULS in Almada Seixal (García de Orta Hospital) will continue to close on weekends (Saturday and Sunday), while the maternity wards of the ULS in Arco Ribeirinho (Barreiro Montijo Hospital) and the Arrábida ULS (Setubal Hospital Center) are supported temporary and rotational suspensions.
In turn, the ULS calving unit in the Leiria region and the ULS Médio Tejo unit will continue to close on weekends (Friday to Sunday), on even-numbered weeks, alternating with the ULS calving unit in Leziria (Hospital Santarém), which will continue to close on weekends on odd weeks.
The maternity hospital at ULS do Oeste (Hospital das Caldas da Rainha) will remain closed on weekends (Friday to Sunday).
Three emergency rooms will also be available in private hospitals “whenever the installed SNS capacity is full” in Lisbon and the Tagus Valley (LVT) region.
In the north of the country, emergency services will operate in Bragança, Vila Real, Viana do Castelo, Braga, Guimarães, Povoa de Varzina, Matosinhos, Penafiel, Porto (ULS São João and ULS Santo António), Vila Nova di Gaia, Santa Maria da Feira and Famalican without interruption.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.