A newborn baby had to be revived after a series of complications while the child was being delivered by a team of anaesthetists at Portimão Hospital on Saturday night.
The procedure should only be carried out by a paediatrician but there weren’t any on duty at the hospital that night.
The Algarve hospital board (CHUA) admitted that the mother should have been transferred to Faro Hospital as there weren’t any paediatricians available, but due to safety issues, it was deemed too risky to transport the woman, who was going into labour, all the way to Faro.
Although the newborn had to be revived following the procedure, the hospital board guaranteed that the mother and her child are “both well”.
Another baby was also delivered by the same team that night and “all went well”.
The board added that the lack of paediatricians is a “well-known issue” although the situation at Portimão Hospital on Saturday was “exceptional and unpredictable”.
michael.bruxo@algarveresident.com
