ULS Algarve “denies vehemently” death of minor for lack of assistance

A Algarve Local Health Unit (ULS) denied, this Sunday, that “a child died due to lack of transportation and assistance at the Hospital de Portimão”, as reported by the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party (PS), José Luís Carneiro, in press statements.

The news was advanced by CNN Portugal, which pointed out that the ULS of the Algarve rejected “really that a child died due to lack of transportation and assistance at the Hospital de Portimão”, in a statement.

The television channel also realized that on October 22, a child who had suffered irreversible damage eventually died, but received all the assistance, including from a pediatrician.

O News to Minutes he contacted the Algarve's ULS in order to obtain more information and is waiting for a response.

It should be noted that the leader of the ER announced that he would urgently call the Minister of Health to Parliament due to the deaths at the Hospital of Portimão, adding that he had knowledge of another probable death due to lack of response.

“ Two people died because of lack of medical assistance in the emergency room of the Portimão Hospital. From yesterday [saturday] to today, and because I spoke about it, I was contacted that there may have been another death, in this case, of a child, due to a lack of response in this hospital in Portimão and in the transport to Faro”, indicated, detailing that he was told that “the child will have died in October”.

In this line, the socialist considered that “it is very important for the Prime Minister to explain to the Portuguese, and particularly to the Algarves, what happened and what he is planning to do to respond to the Algarves that do not find answers in health, in this case, in the urgency of the Hospital de Portimão”.

Thus, he indicated that the PS will “call urgently the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, to the Assembly of the Republic so that it can answer” the questions of the deputies and, at the same time, to say “what is the government planning to do to respond to the serious health needs that are being posed, in particular, in Portimão”.

It is recalled that in the early hours of Wednesday, an 87-year-old man died after about 10 hours waiting. The user resorted to the emergency room around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, with complaints of vomiting and abdominal pain, having been screened with a yellow bracelet. The elderly did not respond to the call at 4:00 a.m., and was then found by nurses “unconscious in the waiting room”.

The hospital administration rejected the information that the man died in the waiting room, ensuring that the death occurred in the resuscitation room, after the patient had been subjected to maneuvers of resuscitation unsuccessfully.

According to the Algarve's ULS, the man had several comorbidities, including a previous stroke and other chronic diseases, but the symptoms presented did not allow to anticipate the fatal outcome.

The user was not accompanied by relatives, but was in an area permanently attended by health professionals and other users, clarified the institution.

As early as Friday, it was known that a 94-year-old patient who had been in the ER for about 24 hours without medical observation also died.

The Algarve ULS has indicated that it will set up an inquiry, as well as the General Inspection of Health Activities (IGAS), according to Lusa.