Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 31^st August 2022

Good morning – The highlight of the week, (certainly dominating the media yesterday) was the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, presenting her resignation to the Prime Minister because she “understands that she is no longer able to remain in office”, according to a note sent by the ministry to newsrooms.

Her resignation, is the first ‘weight loss’ in the XXIII Constitutional Government, which took office exactly five months ago, on March 30th.

In response, “The Prime Minister gave thanks for all the work developed by Dr. Marta Temido, especially in the exceptional period of combating the COVID19 pandemic. The Prime Minister, António Costa, admitted today that the death of a pregnant woman transferred from Hospital de Santa Maria was the “final straw” that led to the resignation of the Minister of Health. The Government will continue the ongoing reforms with a view to strengthening the SNS and improving the health care provided to the Portuguese.”

Marta Temido began her duties as Minister of Health in October 2018 and was minister during the last three executives led by socialist António Costa. During her mandates, Marta Temido was at the centre of the management of the pandemic, which began in 2020, but also went through several controversies. Recently, the closure of emergency obstetrics services in several hospitals due to a lack of doctors to fill the scales put pressure on the ministry.

The minister who became the most popular in the Government could it would appear no longer stand up to the pressure. Her departure comes at a time when many of the issues and problems, for instances staff shortages, retention of professionals, left over from pandemic are now emerging, as there are in many health systems overseas. The succession of clinical cases with political collage will continue to make headlines over the coming months, exploited by other political parties and other groups.

The prime minister made it known that Marta Temido’s succession will not be immediate. In part, the meaning of this statement is unclear: does the minister remain in day-to-day management? In part, it means that a substantive decision on a new team at the Ministry of Health is expected.

The prime minister said that he hopes that the outgoing Health Minister, will still choose the executive direction of the SNS and take it to the Council of Ministers, which should meet on September 15. António Costa admitted that he “was not counting” on the resignation and revealed that the death of a pregnant woman on Saturday surpassed the “red line” that she had settled for herself. And he added: “this time”, he had to accept the minister’s request.

The prime minister says he has not yet had time to think of a replacement for Marta Temido and insists that the minister still present to the Council of Ministers on the 8th or 15th September the regulation of the Statute of the National Health Service (SNS). “It is better to conclude this work that is in progress and then move on with our lives”,

At Safe Communities for over two years we closely monitored every day the development of the pandemic, including the decisions and announcements made by the Minister. Although there were changes and even mistakes that were made, the fact is that she dealt decisively with this unprecedented pandemic, which affected everyone in some shape of form. It would be an extraordinary miracle if, in the midst of the circumstances, everything had always gone according to plan. It was a major crisis and although easy to criticise, her legacy should be that she was a minister who faced up to the challenge and saw it through. The pressure she was under would have been considerable.

Portugal had one of the best performances in the world in the fight against the pandemic recognized by international institutions, a view that was frequently made to us by foreign residents here as well as visitors. If there is any doubt on that point please visit our Covid-19 Positive messages page where you can see some of these. We should be thanking her for her work.

On a different note whereas we have been focusing on fires for some time, it was “a few drops of rain in the Algarve” on Sunday that caught the attention of our Facebook followers. The amount of rain did not materialize as the maps indicated but it did not stop around 120 of you sharing your “rain drop” experiences – the post reaching around 12,000 people. Seriously however, this reflects the desperate need there is for a protracted period of rain to in anyway help address the extreme drought problem in the region.

Even in the north there was generally little rain, and only a few isolated intense rain and hail showers. This is not the type of rain we need, because when it falls on earth which has been parched by the sun for several months, it does not soak in but runs off causing flooding.

News

Marcelo: “I prefer a more autonomous and independent SNS from the Ministry of Health”

President of the Republic declined to comment on Marta Temido’s departure, but revealed his preference for the future of the National Health System.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was present, in a virtual way, at the PSD Summer University, and was questioned by some young people about Marta Temido’s departure. The president of Portugal did not elaborate much on the matter, but made a point of revealing his idea for the National Health System.

“I have a preference, which I haven’t hidden for a long time, about the way the SNS is managed. More autonomous and independent from the Ministry of Health, since a classic form of dependence has shown limits to its effectiveness”, he stressed reiterating once again he did not want to comment on the departure of the Minister of Health.

“As you can imagine, I will not comment on the specific case. As I said in a note that I published today, I am awaiting the exoneration proposal in formal terms and the corresponding proposal for the appointment of a substitute”, limited himself to affirming the head of state.

“I would answer in a different way, so as not to comment on the concrete question [about the future Minister of Health], which I understand is the question of the day, and it is, therefore, your question of the day, but I am not a political analyst and, therefore, I will not respond in this context”, he said.

Marcelo considered that there was “a consensus” that the response to the problems of the health sector “is not ideological”, but “largely organizational and functional”.

The President of the Republic said he expected further clarifications regarding the regulation, namely on the top management scheme, the executive direction of the SNS, and the scheme of combining decentralization and the transfer of regional health administrations to this decentralization scheme.

IGAS will investigate the case of the death of a pregnant woman transferred to São Francisco Xavier

The Inspectorate-General for Health Activities (IGAS) announced this Tuesday that it will institute an inspection of the transfer of the 31-week pregnant woman from the Hospital de Santa Maria to the Hospital de São Francisco Xavier, in Lisbon, “due to an alleged lack of vacancy” in the Neonatology Service of the first hospital unit”.

In a statement sent to the newsrooms, the organization explains that the investigation is intended to understand “the reason why the user was transferred”, “who were responsible for the transfer decision and under what clinical assumptions they ensured that the user could be transferred safely “, “what was the situation of the Neonatology Service of the Hospital de Santa Maria on the date of the patient’s transfer”, “in what circumstances the death occurred” and if “there were alternative and safer solutions to the transference of the patient”.

It should be remembered that the Hospital de Santa Maria clarified this Tuesday that the 34-year-old woman, of Indian nationality, resorted to its emergency department “due to a feeling of shortness of breath and tachycardia” and received all the necessary care.

At the time of the patient’s transfer – which the hospital justifies with the fact that it would be more beneficial for the baby, who suffered from a “growth restriction”, to be born in the place where he can be assisted – the pregnant woman “was stabilized”.

“It is scientifically proven that it is better for the baby to be born in the place where it will be assisted”, explained the doctor, which is why the Neonatology and Obstetrics team decided to transfer her.

“It is not a rare situation. Transfers take place in all hospitals”, he guaranteed, assuring that “it was not at all expected”, given the clinical situation in which the woman left the hospital, that there was a cardiorespiratory arrest.

During the trip, the woman suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest, and resuscitation was performed on the trip. At Hospital São Francisco Xavier “she underwent an urgent cesarean section”, and the newborn was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit “due to prematurity”. Her mother, who was admitted to intensive care, would eventually die. The baby remains hospitalized in the neonatology of Hospital São Francisco Xavier.

Man caught with 360 kilos of drugs to sell in the North region

The Judicial Police (PJ) detained a man suspected of being part of a “criminal structure” of drug trafficking, from whom 360.5 kilos of hashish and liamba were seized to be sold in the North of Portugal

The 31-year-old detainee, with a police record for the same crime, was in preventive detention – a more serious measure of coercion – after being brought to court, the PJ said in a statement.

According to the PJ, the suspect had in his possession 353 kilos of hashish and 7.5 kilos of liamba, a drug that was destined for the national market in the North region, he explained.

“The police action, resulting from intense work to collect information and surveillance of suspects, made it possible to remove substances from circulation that would be used for the preparation of 1,765,000 individual doses of hashish and 37,950 of liamba”, he underlined.

The PJ revealed that investigative efforts will continue to identify and hold others responsible for the “criminal structure” accountable.