The closure of Gynecology and Obstetrics emergency services has caused significant constraints in obstetric healthcare, with some maternity wards – such as Alfredo da Costa in Lisbon – entering a state of “great effort.”
The President of the Order of Nurses, Luís Filipe Barreira, confirmed the “overload of births” in maternity wards that “are ensuring 24-hour service per day” and argued that nurses can “play a fundamental role” in an “urgent” reform of services.
Luís Filipe Barreira acknowledged that it is obvious that the closure of some emergency services puts others in a situation of “overload,” which requires the service to “always be reinforced in terms of professionals.”
“The truth is that this situation reveals the urgent need to reform this network of care for pregnant women, ensuring that access to healthcare is equitable and of quality for all women,” said the President.
Obstetric nurses can play a fundamental role.
This is where Luís Filipe Barreira argues that “obstetric nurses can play a fundamental role.” “We have to think about the near future and consider restructuring this network of maternity wards in Portugal,” he said.
The President believes that nurses “are prepared to ensure, in a comprehensive and effective way, total care for low-risk pregnant women.” Luís Filipe Barreira recalled that this idea has been internationally recommended “for a long time” and that “specialist nurses already ensure more than 50% of deliveries in Portugal.”
“Instead of thinking about closing maternity wards, we can make better use of spaces and locations,” he reiterated.
In the coming days, with announcements of several emergency services closing, the President expects “major constraints in this issue of childbirth” and expressed “great concern” about the situation.
For Luís Filipe Barreira, we are witnessing a “restriction on free access to maternal healthcare.”
It should be noted that due to the closure of five Gynecology and Obstetrics emergency services, the Alfredo da Costa Maternity Hospital recorded 98 admissions and performed 25 deliveries, five of which were cesarean sections, on Monday. This is the highest number, at least since 2013, when 22 deliveries were recorded on a day in January.
It should be noted that, this Wednesday, seven Gynecology and Obstetrics emergency services are closed.