SNS computer system “is completely down”

O sNS's computer system has been down since about 10:00 a.m. today in several local health units, preventing doctors from passing prescriptions and accessing electronic patient processes, today warned Fnam.

“We haven’t had a computer system for about 25 minutes and this is probably even national, because I already have reports from ULS São João, the ULS of Matosinhos, the ULS of Médio Ave” and more reports continue to arrive, Lusa told the agency at 10:30, the vice president of the National Federation of Doctors (Fnam), Joana Bordalo and Sá.

According to the union leader, the Medical Electronic Prescription (PEM) “is completely down” and doctors cannot pass “one prescription”. The Electronic Health Register (RSE) is also unavailable.

“ Again, this is the entire responsibility of the Ministry of Health, Ana Paula Martins, who does not modernize, does not give us the appropriate tools to complete a simple medical act, such as passing a prescription, such as having access to the electronic process of patients ", said Joana Bordalo and Sá, who is also president of the North Medical Union (SNN).

The trade union leader stated that the unavailability of the Electronic Health Register prevents health professionals from consulting the clinical data of patients in their electronic processes.

“ This limits our medical act, it is an insecurity in the consultations we are doing, besides delaying all our work ", said, giving his own example: “I’m in consultation right now and I’m all behind because I’m not being able to pass on the prescriptions that my patients need.”.

For Joana Bordalo and Sá, this failure in the SNS computer system is, “again, a proof of lack of competence and a ‘modus operandi’ that is still unacceptable in the National Health Service”, where doctors cannot do “a basic thing like passing a prescription and consulting the electronic process of patients”.

“ In the end, the same are always affected, it is the users, the billions or millions of users who have a consultation today at a health center or in a hospital across the country,” he lamented.

According to the trade unionist, the problem is repeated frequently and, despite the notifications, “the Ministry of Health remains unimpeded and serene, without taking any action, when it is its responsibility that, in fact, millions of users and patients are being harmed”, considering this situation “absolutely unacceptable”.

When trying to access the EMP, doctors encounter the message “cannot access this page”. In access to CSR, the indication “It is not connected”, according to images made available by FNAM.

The Lusa agency contacted the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health, which manages this process, at 10:45 a.m., awaiting response.