Paediatric and neonatal care in the Algarve’s state hospitals will not close in September “due to a lack of medical staff”, confirmed CHUA, the region’s hospital management board, in a statement this week.
The clarification came after reports emerged that there was not enough staff to ensure night shift coverage.
Says CHUA, it is doing “everything it can, alongside ARS Algarve and the Ministry of Health, to ensure these services have enough staff at night”.
It also explains that the current shortage of staff was “aggravated due to health professionals being on leave due to illness, maternity or to support their families”.
The hospital board also says that the paediatric and neonatal units are still running and providing “quality services thanks to the dedication of the health professionals”.
A shortage of medical staff has been a recurring issue in the Algarve’s state health service for years, with Portimão Hospital standing out recently as the worst affected by a lack of health professionals.
