Representatives of the associations and movements that are part of the platform will light an “Olympic torch” at 4:00 PM, as part of the “health Olympics” titled “Defend the NHS and its Professionals,” “so that the rights of children and mothers are not extinguished.”
In statements to Lusa agency, Fátima Amaral from the Democratic Movement of Women explained that the initiative is taking place to honor the efforts of health professionals who attend to all pregnant women.
“It symbolizes an example of great effort and commitment from health professionals, in the sense of attending to all pregnant women who need assistance and who have been flocking to this maternity ward [MAC], given the serious problem we are experiencing in many maternity wards across the country, in the districts of Setúbal and Lisbon, with constant closure of emergency services,” she emphasized.
For Fátima Amaral, this is a “very worrying” situation at a time when “pregnant women need security and tranquility.”
Hoping to count on the participation of health professionals and users, in addition to activists from the organizations that make up the platform, the spokesperson indicated that the “health Olympics” will end in September “with a large protest action by National Health Service [NHS] professionals, but also by the general population and women in particular.”
In a note, the Lisbon Platform in Defense of the NHS recalls that “the number of closed emergency services, such as pediatrics and obstetrics, is unacceptable, forcing pregnant women to travel kilometers in search of a vacancy to realize their right to a safe and peaceful childbirth.”
“It is not with low salaries, inadequate careers, and poor working conditions that professionals can be attracted and retained, namely, doctors and nurses are pushed towards emigration and the private sector,” it maintains.
In addition to the Democratic Movement of Women, the platform includes the Lisbon City Users Commission, Lisbon Regional Directorate of the Portuguese Nurses Union (SEP), National Confederation of Retirees, Pensioners and Elderly (MURPI), Inter-Retirees of Lisbon, Public Services Users Movement, Southern Zone Doctors Union, Union of Public Service Workers of the South and Autonomous Regions, National Union of Psychologists, Amadora and Sintra Users Commission, and Lisbon Trade Union Union (CGTP-IN).
