President: forced transfer is "regrettable"

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The president of the Portuguese Medical Association, Carlos Cortes, considered this Friday “absolutely regrettable” the forced transfer of doctors from Barreiro Hospital to Garcia de Orta Hospital, in Almada, to guarantee the functioning of obstetric emergencies.

Expresso reported on Thursday , citing a source from the office of the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, that the obstetrics team at the Barreiro Hospital will be mobilized, by order, and that the forced transfer should take place as soon as the Government moves forward with concentrating the obstetrics emergencies on the south bank in Almada, as announced this week in parliament.

Speaking to the Lusa news agency, Carlos Cortes considered the decision “absolutely regrettable”, stressing that “the Order of Physicians censures any type of intervention carried out, from the outset, in this way”.

“First and foremost, we must always ensure clinical safety,” which should not be imposed “by decree,” but rather by making the most appropriate technical choices.

The president argued that it is necessary to reorganize obstetrics and gynecology emergencies on the Setúbal peninsula, which is "a red spot, very delicate, very sensitive, with immense difficulties", with the creation of "all the conditions" to be able to have complete teams.

“The history of the Setúbal Peninsula in the area of ​​obstetrics, in these last months and in these last years, has been a story of successive failures , of proposals, of announcements that then end up resulting in absolutely nothing,” he lamented.

But, he warned, "this attitude of wanting to do things by force, forcing, without dialogue, without talking, without explaining the objectives, without explaining how things will be done, without also listening to other options, other possible solutions, can lead to yet another failure."

The president recalled that there have been attempts across the country to force doctors to move to other locations, "against technical reasonableness, technical evidence," which ended with the doctors leaving, as happened at Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon, where seven obstetricians left.

"We have this experience in Portugal, which is why I find this announcement regrettable. It's from someone who doesn't understand the reality of Portugal," he stressed.

The president said he hoped that the departure of doctors from the NHS would not happen again due to "imposing a framework that made no sense" and called for a solution based on legality and respect for people.

“Anything that is done by force, I can assure you, will not go well and will never have the support of the Order of Physicians,” he declared.

The minister said in parliament that, to concentrate emergency services at Almada Hospital, with the support of Setúbal Hospital (receiving cases sent by INEM and SNS 24), seven full teams would be needed for Almada and three for service provision.

However, unions interviewed by Expresso argue that this will only be possible on a voluntary basis or for doctors working full-time, who are required to cover emergencies up to 30 kilometers from the hospital to which they work.

According to Expresso, the order only depends on the minister's signature and does not require negotiation.

In a clarification sent to newsrooms this Friday, regarding the regional emergency in the Setúbal Peninsula, and following the Expresso news, the Ministry of Health states that the order is still being worked on.

"Teams from the Ministries of Health and Finance are finalizing the legal framework for the future regional emergency department in the Setúbal Peninsula, which will meet the needs of pregnant women and newborns in the region," he said.

The Ministry of Health adds that “the diploma also aims to ensure fair and due compensation for professionals working in the National Health Service.”

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