This Saturday, the Doctors’ Order announced that it would require the “immediate cancellation” of the General Directorate of Health (DGS) guidance on childbirth, which does not reflect the proposals submitted to it and the final version of which was not sent to it.
“The Physicians Order will require the immediate repeal of this DGS guidance in favor of a negotiated, inclusive and transparent process that ensures the best quality care for mothers and children,” the body said in a statement. .
In the text, the Ordem dos Médicos (OM) clarified that while it agreed to “actively participate in the Gynecology/Obstetrics and Delivery Units Response Monitoring Commission with proposals” to “improve responses to maternal and child health”, technical opinions representing their physicians were not counted and not included in the published document.
In addition, the NM stressed that not only were the representatives appointed to this committee “not aware of the final version of the report”, but also “the name of the representative of the Board of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Order of Physicians was excluded.” from the document,” which he classified as “institutional disrespect.”
“Failure to send to the National Council of the Order of Physicians the final report of the Commission for Monitoring the Response in Gynecology/Obstetrics and Obstetrics, which led to the DGS guidance regarding medical care during childbirth, sets up institutional disrespect and demonstrates a refusal to cooperate on a matter of great importance for the population and health care in Portugal,” OM said in a defense statement.
The DGS Guidance for Health Care During Childbirth provides that hospital admissions in low-risk situations “may be performed by an OB/GYN or Maternal and Obstetric Health Nurse Specialist (EEESMO).”
“For eutotic births (without the use of any instruments), the person in charge of the birth will preferably be the EEESMO, while for instrumental vaginal births, this will always be the OB/GYN doctor,” the DGS document states.
These procedures were proposed by the Gynecology and Obstetrics Emergency Response Monitoring Commission and the Maternity Unit to standardize inpatient care during childbirth and clarify the roles of different healthcare providers. In 2022, several OB/GYN emergency services and maternity units in various parts of the country were forced to close for certain periods or operate with restrictions due to the difficulty of hospitals filling specialist lists.
The OM press release also emphasizes that its “College of Gynecology and Obstetrics does not agree with the contents of the final report” of this commission and “believes that an opportunity to improve healthcare in this area has been missed.”
Due to the way the process went and its results, NM also announced that “members appointed by the College of Gynecology and Obstetrics have submitted their resignation from said committee this Saturday, as well as representatives from the Colleges of Anesthesiology. and Pediatrics, not being under these circumstances, considered replacing it.”