The news of the death of yet another newborn this morning, which was apparently avoidable if the woman had been given proper care, highlights the unsustainable situation of obstetrics in the National Health Service resulting from the actions of the current and previous governments. They have eroded the working conditions and pay of doctors in general and obstetricians in particular, even though they knew that obstetrics, along with paediatrics, was one of the specialties most coveted by the private sector, which, due to its lucrative potential, would seek to hire more specialists.
In fact, the actions of the private sector and the inaction of the State have meant that more than half of the doctors specialising in this area are now outside the NHS, putting an increasing strain on the teams that remain in public services. The situation is particularly serious in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, where the healthcare economic groups have made their biggest investments and where most of the Public-Private Partnerships have been located, which have also contributed to draining specialists out of the SNS.
The government's total lack of measures in this area, as was already the case with the PS government, limiting itself to intermittent closures and already preparing for permanent closures, has led to a situation of insecurity and inhumanity for pregnant women.
On an almost daily basis, there are reports of pregnant women travelling from hospital to hospital in search of a vacancy or care, or of pregnant women forced to travel long distances to access obstetric care. More and more births take place in ambulances or other non-hospital locations.
This is a deliberate policy that jeopardises the safety of pregnant women and children. It is imperative to take determined action to valorise the careers of healthcare professionals, to invest in services and also to take emergency measures to prevent what is already happening on many days from becoming consolidated and definitive: the closure of the majority of delivery blocks and obstetric emergencies in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region.
Regardless of whether or not technical responsibilities are established, it is important to state clearly that the fundamental responsibilities are political and are there for all to see. The responsibility lies with the government and its policy of deliberately putting women, their pregnancies and their children at risk.
