The Peniche City Council will request an urgent meeting with the Minister of Health. This decision comes in light of the hospital’s basic emergency department being closed on 40% of the days. The proposal for this meeting was approved unanimously this Friday.
Meeting Scheduled with Minister
At the public meeting of the municipal executive, President Henrique Bertino announced that the Minister of Health had scheduled a meeting for October 22. The mayors of the Intermunicipal Community of the West, of which Peniche is a part, requested this meeting.
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The proposal, presented by the CDU and approved by the entire municipal executive, states the request for a meeting with the Minister of Health. It says:
The basic emergency service, since November 2023, has been closed for several periods due to a lack of human resources, and in this month of September the situation worsened and on 40% of the days it was closed.
Peniche Hospital Emergency Closures: Shortage of Family Doctors
In primary health care, the mayors warn of the significant lack of family doctors in the municipality, with 43.8% of the population lacking access to a family doctor. This issue is particularly severe in the parishes of Peniche, Atouguia da Baleia, and Serra d’El Rei.
The mayors recall that the municipality and the Government signed an agreement in 2008, which successive administrations have reiterated. This agreement ensured the continuation of the basic emergency service until the new Oeste hospital became operational.
Economic Implications of Emergency Service Closures
The main arguments put forward include the economic activities tied to the fishing industry, which lead to frequent accidents and the 30-minute distance to Caldas da Rainha.
Additionally, the area’s growing tourism, particularly due to the popularity of surfing, significantly increases the population during the summer. The existence of a search and rescue system at sea further supports the need to maintain basic emergency services.
Political Reactions and Acknowledgment of the Crisis
This month, the PCP deemed the closure of the emergency service at Peniche hospital for several days in September unacceptable. They demanded that the Government take urgent action to resolve the issue, which the hospital administration admits has worsened since the summer.
In response to questions from the media, the board of directors of the West Local Health Unit (ULS), which oversees Peniche Hospital, acknowledged a shortfall of professionals. This issue has worsened since the summer due to the departure of three doctors, who left by their own choice.
Staffing Challenges in Emergency Services
According to the administration, the departure of these professionals has caused significant difficulties in maintaining the emergency service teams. To date, this issue remains unresolved because doctors have shown a lack of interest in providing services at the unit.
In the ULS Oeste hospitals, the doctors on staff cover only 40% of the annual hours needed. However, in Peniche, the hospital relies entirely on external service providers, outsourcing 100% of its emergency services.
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Given that the location does not facilitate the active recruitment of resources, ULS Oeste has been increasing the hourly rate paid to medical professionals working in the Peniche emergency room.
Despite these efforts, they have still been unable to attract a sufficient number of doctors to meet their needs. However, the hospital expects another doctor to begin duties soon, which may help alleviate some of the staffing challenges.
Patient Care Assurance Amid Staffing Issues
Despite the constraints, the hospital administration stated that at no time was the care provided to urgent patients in the region jeopardized. In such situations, healthcare staff transfer patients to other units based on their clinical condition, as noted in a response sent to the news agencies.
The hospitals of Caldas da Rainha, Peniche, and Torres Vedras, part of ULS Oeste, serve several municipalities, including Caldas da Rainha, Óbidos, Peniche, and Bombarral (in the district of Leiria), as well as Torres Vedras, Cadaval, Lourinhã, and Sobral de Monte Agraço (in the district of Lisbon).
