Minister quits after Indian dies
CLOSURE OF EMERGENCY OBSTETRIC SERVICES IN PORTUGAL LEADS TO DEATH OF PREGNANT TOURIST
PORTUGAL’S health minister Marta Temido resigned last Tuesday (30) following widespread criticism of her decision to temporarily close emergency obstetric services, forcing risky transfers of pregnant women between hospitals.
Temido’s resignation came hours after reports emerged that a pregnant woman of Indian origin died last Saturday (27) after suffering a cardiac arrest during an ambulance transfer from Lisbon’s main hospital Santa Maria – which had no vacancies in the neonatology service – to another hospital in the capital.
The health ministry said in a statement Temido had decided to step down because she “realised that she no longer had the conditions to remain in office”.
In a separate statement, prime minister Antonio Costa said he had accepted her resignation and thanked Temido for her work, which included organising a successful vaccination campaign against Covid-19.
“We’re aware of the very unfortunate incident. We are in touch with the family,” the spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, said last week.
The pregnant tourist’s baby was delivered in good health following an emergency caesarean section, authorities said.
An investigation into the woman’s death has been launched, local reports said.
Portugal’s government took the measure to close emergency obstetric services, especially at weekends, as several hospitals did not have enough doctors during the summer holidays.
Opposition parties and municipalities have criticised the minister because pregnant women sometimes have to make risky trips to hospitals far away.
Temido became health minister in October 2018. Last year, she was among the most popular ministers thanks to the success of the vaccination campaign, according to opinion polls.
But more recently her star has faded due to staffing and other problems at many public hospitals, and after thousands of doctors presented the so-called refusal of responsibility, citing poor working conditions and extreme fatigue.
There were similar incidents across Portugal in recent months – including the separate deaths of two infants whose mothers had apparently been transferred between hospitals and endured delays, reports said.