Portugal's Health Minister Marta Temido stepped down from her post on Tuesday after a pregnant Indian tourist died there while being shifted between hospitals last week. Temido faced backlash for her decision to temporarily close emergency obstetric services which risked the health and safety of pregnant women being moved between hospitals for treatment.
A CNN report quoted the director of the Obstetrics Service saying that the hospital only had two vacancies and decided to keep a pregnant woman with twins in its facilities. The Indian woman, who later died, was stable but had been suffering from high blood pressure and dyspnea and had been diagnosed with "severe preeclampsia and restrictions of uterine growth."
The government in Portugal had decided to shut emergency obstetric services, especially at weekends, as several hospitals did not have enough doctors during the summer holidays, reports said.
Temido's Resignation
Temido stepped down saying that she "realised that she no longer had the conditions to remain in office", while Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa accepted her resignation and thanked her for her services, particularly the successful vaccination campaign against COVID-19.
Her resignation after reports said that a 34-year-old pregnant Indian tourist died of a heart attack on Saturday while she was being shifted from Lisbon's main hospital Santa Maria. The hospital reportedly had no vacancies in the neonatology service. The baby, however, survived after an emergency C-section.
Temido, who was appointed the health minister of Portugal in October 2018, was widely praised for the success of the Covid-19 vaccination programme there. However, she has been under attack due to a shortage of staff across natal units in the country.
Staff Shortage
She was criticised for her move to temporarily close emergency obstetric services to handle the staff shortage. Earlier, two infants had died whose others were being shifted between the hospitals. A BBC report said that the country is now considering hiring staff with specialisation in gynaecology and obstetrics from abroad owing to the shortage.
BBC quoted the chair of the Portuguese doctors association Miguel Guimaraes praising Temid while adding that she quit because "she did not have any way of resolving the current crisis."
Infant Deaths
In June, a pregnant woman had to go from one hospital to another by her own means because the gynecology/obstetrics emergency service at the first hospital was closed. An emergency cesarean section was performed, but the baby died due to the delay, CNN reported. Similarly, in July, a pregnant woman had to travel 100k in search of a functional obstetrics service. Shuffling between the hospitals caused the delay which led to the baby's death.
To avoid such situations, the Portuguese government launched an online portal with information on emergencies and closed delivery blocks.