Lisbon: The tragic death of a pregnant Indian woman in Portugal while being transferred between crisis-stricken hospitals has prompted Marta Temido to resign as the nation's health minister, and investigators have begun looking into the situation.
According to reports, the 34-year-old Indian woman had a cardiac arrest while being shifted by ambulance from Santa Maria hospital, which had no openings in the neonatology programme, to another hospital in the city. The BBC reported on Wednesday that it comes after a succession of incidents this summer that critics attribute to a staffing shortage in Portuguese natal units.
Temido, who served as Portugal's health minister from 2018 until the present, is credited for guiding the country through the COVID-19 pandemic. Temido "realised that she no longer had the requirements to remain in office," the administration claimed in a statement on Tuesday. According to a report from Portugal's Lusa news agency, Prime Minister Antonio Costa described the woman's death as "the last straw" that caused Temido to retire. "I appreciate all the work Dr. Marta Temido has done, especially during the challenging time of fighting the COVID19 pandemic. The @govpt continue the ongoing reforms with a view to strengthening the SNS and improving healthcare provided to the Portuguese," Costa, an Indian-origin leader, said in a tweet.
His comments followed a barrage of criticism directed at the Portuguese government's handling of staff shortages in maternity units, which included temporarily closing some of them and requiring expectant mothers to undertake perilous hospital transfers.
Due to a full neonatology unit at Lisbon's Santa Maria Hospital, the largest hospital in Portugal, the pregnant women reportedly passed away while being transferred there. Her baby was delivered in good health following an emergency caesarean section, authorities said.
Portugal's lack of medical professionals, particularly those with gynecology and obstetrics training, has prompted the government to consider hiring from overseas.
Opposition parties, medical professionals, and nurses are blaming the former health minister for the overcrowded maternity hospitals and lengthy wait times caused by the shutdown of some natal units.
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