Pediatrics doctors at Centro Hospitalar de Leiria demand emergency room and maternity ward to be closed

The Pediatricians of the Centro Hospitalar de Leiria (CHL) are requesting the closure of the Pediatric Emergency Department for the night and the maternity ward, as well as asking not to accept obstetric activities at the Hospital de Caldas da Rainha.

In the petition, which Lusa had access to on Tuesday, the CHL Pediatric Medical Team is demanding that if there are no shift items and only one pediatrician, pediatric emergency care should be closed to “all external appointments.” “, starting at 20:00, “in order to ensure proper care and a safe environment for hospitalized patients.”

Doctors are also asking for the closure of the maternity ward, given that “it is not possible to provide care for childbirth with dystocia or any emergency neonatal resuscitation”, arguing that “all pregnant women with a transfer condition” should be referred to other departments of the hospital.

In both situations, 30 subscribers consider it important that CHL “inform Saúde 24, CODU in a timely manner. [Centro de Orientação de Doentes Urgentes]primary health care, nearby hospitals (namely in Alcobaça and Pombal) and the population.”

The doctors also request that the deviation from the CHL of the ancillary activities of the obstetrics service (hospitalization, delivery unit and emergency obstetric care) of the maternity ward of the hospital das Caldas da Rainha be accepted, the undersigned said in a message addressed to the director of the CHL. and with the knowledge of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Executive Director of the National Health Service, the Order of Physicians, the National Federation of Physicians and the Independent Union of Physicians.

In Monday’s document, the pediatric services medical team once again denounces that “safety conditions for the implementation of quality medical activities in the pediatric emergency department, maternity ward and maternity ward are not met.” which jeopardizes the safety of patients and professionals.

Explaining that in November 2022 and May last year, the medical team already showed “concern about the work of pediatric emergency care”, subscribers refer to the fact that “now there is a different situation” due to the closure of the Caldas da Rainha maternity hospital, Centro Hospitalar with west this summer with the transition to CHL from nursing activities.

“It was decided that the obstetrics team of the Hospital das Caldas da Rainha would come to reinforce the nursing team of the Hospital de Santo André. [Leiria]”, he adds, emphasizing that the same strengthening of the pediatric care service has not been decided,” so “she will have to maintain the support already provided earlier with an increased workload.”

According to the team, the situation “will escalate in the summer”, with the holidays. “After all the attempts at a solution demonstrated by the service, no alternative/relationship on the part of the administration and guardianship was demonstrated to resolve” the situation, which they classify as intolerable, it notes.

“We do not have the elements available to fill all the required periods in order to prepare an ambulance schedule in the coming months, so we do not see an alternative to the closure of pediatric ER. [tal como funciona agora, 24 horas por dia, sete dias por semana]with the support of the maternity hospital, nursery, infirmary, pediatric special care unit, short-term hospitalization and emergency department, ”the specialists add.

On April 18, the Centro Hospitalar do Oeste announced that the maternity ward at Das Caldas da Rainha Hospital will be renovated, and this work affects the obstetrics and maternity ward and requires the transfer of pregnant women to Leiria until September.

Centro Hospitalar do Oeste brings together the hospitals of Caldas da Rainha, Peniche and Torres Vedras, covering the municipalities of Caldas da Rainha, Óbidos, Peniche, Bombarral, Torres Vedras, Cadaval and Lourinha, as well as part of Alcobaça and Mafra, with a population of about 298 thousand people. .

CHL brings together the hospitals of Leiria, Pombal and Alcobaça.

According to the CHL website, “the area of ​​influence of the CHL corresponds to the municipalities of Batalha, Leiria, Marinha Grande, Porto de Mós, Nazare, Pombal, Pedrogan Grande, Figueiro dos Viños, Castaneira de Pera, Anciao, Alvayazère, Ouren and part of the municipalities of Alcobaça and Sur, serving a population of about 400,000 inhabitants.”