The Algarve’s paediatric emergency services will be operating with just one paediatrician on the night of this New Year’s Eve (December 31), prompting strong criticism from the Sindicato dos Médicos da Zona Sul (Southern Zone Doctors’ Union).
According to the union, Faro Hospital – the region’s main referral centre for urgent paediatric cases – will have one paediatrician and three doctors covering external emergency care on New Year’s Eve. Says the SMZS, this staffing level falls short of legal minimums and is insufficient to respond to regional needs.
In a statement, the union explains that emergency teams are legally required to include at least two paediatricians, in line with both national regulations and guidelines from the Ordem dos Médicos (Doctors’ Order), which callfor a dedicated paediatrician in the observation unit, plus additional doctors for every 20 patients treated in a 12-hour period.
The situation is made more serious by the closure of Portimão’s paediatric emergency unit this evening, effectively concentrating all paediatric emergencies in Faro.
The union also warned of wider staffing constraints within the hospital. Paediatric internal emergency care is expected to operate without any paediatricians on duty, while the neonatology service will be staffed by two paediatric doctors.
Making matters worse is the fact that the Ministry of Health and the Algarve Local Health Unit (ULS Algarve) failed to act in time, the union insists, arguing that the staffing crisis was entirely predictable. It noted that similar concerns were raised last year and that the issue reflected a broader deterioration in paediatric care.
Thus, the union is urging the ministry to reassess its approach to negotiations with doctors, warning that without improvements to their working conditions, the National Health Service (SNS) will not operate at its full capacity.
