Setúbal Peninsula Awaits New Healthcare Model Amid Maternity Ward Closures
The Ministry of Health convened a high-level meeting on Monday to address the persistent crisis in obstetrics and gynecology emergency services across the Setúbal Peninsula. Health Minister Ana Paula Martins met with the administrative boards of the region's three primary Local Health Units (ULS)—Arrábida, Almada-Seixal, and Arco Ribeirinho—which oversee the hospitals of São Bernardo in Setúbal, Garcia de Orta in Almada, and Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Barreiro, respectively. The meeting, held at 5 p.m. in Lisbon, aimed to formulate a strategy to end the recurring and unpredictable closures that have plagued the region's healthcare system.
Following the discussions, National Health Service (SNS) Executive Director Álvaro Almeida provided a brief statement, confirming the purpose of the meeting was to conduct 'a diagnosis of the situation.' He noted, 'We analyzed the solution, and now the minister has the elements to make decisions.' Almeida appeared alongside the presidents of the three ULS boards: Luís Pombo of Arrábida, Pedro Azevedo of Almada-Seixal, and Ana Teresa Xavier of Arco Ribeirinho. However, no immediate conclusions or action plans were disclosed, with Almeida deferring further comment to Minister Ana Paula Martins, who has yet to publicly address the outcome of the meeting.
The lack of a publicly announced resolution has done little to quell public anxiety, which peaked over the weekend when the obstetrics emergency unit at Almada's Garcia de Orta Hospital closed, leaving the entire peninsula, a populous region south of Lisbon, without any public emergency maternity services. In light of this operational paralysis, the Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators (APAH) has publicly endorsed a model of service centralization. Xavier Barreto, president of APAH, proposed the creation of a single, regional obstetrics emergency hub. 'The solution involves the group of doctors from these three hospitals—Barreiro, Setúbal, and Garcia de Orta—working their emergency hours in a single concentrated emergency unit,' Barreto explained in a television interview.
Barreto advocates for the Garcia de Orta Hospital in Almada to serve as this central facility, arguing that the necessary conditions are in place for all stakeholders to implement such a model swiftly. He acknowledged that this would require logistical arrangements and compensation for the professionals involved. 'There will have to be some compensation for these travels and for this time. I am sure that the Ministry of Health will be available to discuss the solution and these compensations,' he stated, adding that unions have shown openness to the discussion. He concluded with a sense of urgency, declaring, 'This solution is for yesterday.'
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The ongoing service interruptions have also drawn sharp political commentary. On Monday evening, Paulo Raimundo, Secretary-General of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), speaking at a public forum in Montijo, called for an end to the 'scandalous intermittence of urgencies.' He attributed the problem to the government's failure to secure the workforce, stating, 'We need to create conditions for safety and not put lives at risk, which is what is happening every day with this situation.' Raimundo stressed that the solution lies in hiring and retaining more healthcare professionals by offering them better working conditions and career stability within the SNS.
The situation across the Setúbal Peninsula has exposed deep-seated structural issues within the national healthcare system, primarily severe staff shortages in specialized fields. The repeated closures are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a wider crisis that is forcing health authorities to consider unconventional models of care delivery. As residents and officials await a formal plan from the Ministry of Health, the proposal to consolidate emergency services in Almada represents a significant potential shift in healthcare strategy for the Lisbon metropolitan area, moving from localized care to a regionalized, hub-based system in an effort to guarantee service availability.
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