Loures Beatriz Ângelo hospital “living worst moments of its history”
Team leaders of the General Emergency Service of the Beatriz Ângelo Hospital, in Loures, have presented their resignations today due to the lack of conditions, which they say compromise the safety of patients and professionals.
According to the resignation letter signed by 11 team leaders, the professionals warn of the degradation of the service, recalling that they have repeatedly called for “a resolution of the situation”, to no avail.
The medical professionals stress “the scarcity of human resources” that has caused the hospital to live “the worst moments of its history“, failing to guarantee “the provision of excellent care to the patient”.
“The doctors of this house (those who are staying) have made several appeals to their superiors denouncing the serious, dangerous and inhumane situation we live in today,” says the letter.
“The last few months have been marked by the recurrent departure of specialists from the Internal Medicine Service of the Internment and the Dedicated Team of the General Emergency Service,” while the situation has not been accompanied by a decrease in patients.
Speaking to Lusa, Jorge Roque da Cunha, general secretary of SIM, the Independent Doctors’ Union (SIM), said emergency teams are “depleted”.
“Last Saturday, there was only one specialist for an emergency room where there were 110 patients”.
“We learned today that 11 heads of the ER team have tendered their resignation, and in view of this, it is essential that the minister creates conditions for doctors to stay in the SNS instead of making political declarations of his love for the service,” he added.
Coincidentally today sees the hospital ‘close its doors’ to pediatric emergencies between 9pm and 9am.
Health minister Manuel Pizarro meantime has promised “dialogue … to understand the motivations behind all this and see how we can help overcome the difficulties being experienced in this hospital.”
In Faro today, as part of the government’s “Closer Government” initiative, his words suggest either doctors’ previous “multiple requests” for resolution of the problems have not been heard, or the government’s tactic is “maintain bla-bla for as long as possible.”
Source material: LUSA
