11-month-old baby dies after waiting six hours at a hospital in Portugal Buzz News

Lisbon – An 11-month-old baby died in Portimao, south of PortugalAfter waiting for six hours to be transferred to the hospital as the ambulance was not operational due to shortage of doctors.

The case, picked up by local media, happened on Friday after a child in critical condition waited for at least six hours to be transferred to a hospital with adequate teams to treat him.

Pediatric interhospital ambulances were not operational in the Algarve region because there were no doctors who could provide neonatal intensive care.

Finally, a last resort was chosen, transfer by helicopter, but as he was leaving the hospital the child went into cardiorespiratory arrest and died.

Rui Lázaro, head of the union of pre-hospital emergency technicians, condemned in statement to CNN Portugal that other solutions could have been activated, such as sending a medical team by helicopter to the Portimao hospital.

“Somebody from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies or the Guidance Center for Urgent Patients must have taken that decision. We don’t know why it happened this time, so there should be an inquiry.”

For its part, the Algarve Hospital and University Center ensured that all technical and human resources were available.

A lack of resources in emergencies has been persistent in Portugal over the past year, especially in obstetrics and gynecology, with services closed on weekends due to a lack of doctors.

Other controversial cases have occurred in the past year, such as the death of a child in childbirth when the emergency room was closed, or the death of a pregnant woman while being transferred from the hospital.