The Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine (SPMI) and the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF) will meet on 13 October in Lisbon to warn of “chaos in emergency services when winter begins.”
SPMI and APMGF said they were worried about the arrival of winter, arguing that “the Portuguese’s appeal to hospital emergencies is twice the average of the OECD countries” – Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
“In recent years, there has been a tendency to resort to the hospital emergency service, to the detriment of the demand for primary health care. This increasing demand makes hospital emergencies always working within the limits of efficiency and leads to the occurrence of multiple waiting hours in the service, “said João Araújo Correia, president of SPMI.
According to the specialist, this situation “far exceeds the recommendations of the Manchester Triage, compromising the safety of patients and professionals.”
“It was good that there was the political courage to publicize a compulsory circuit for the non-emergent acute patient, which would indicate the need for the primary resource to the Health Centre, being guaranteed, easy access in extended hours,” he says.
It also considers that “significant changes are also necessary in the financing of Hospitals and Health Centres, giving different incentives to the treatment of the acute patient, according to the natural mission of each one.”
The two entities hope that this joint meeting will produce a consensual document, to be released publicly, and sent to the Ministry of Health, the Directorate General of Health and the Regional Health Administrations.
SPMI considers that the increase in the relationship between Internal Medicine and General and Family Medicine “is a fundamental condition for real improvements in the efficiency of the National Health Service”.
- Easy Jet makes an emergency landing
- Foreigner detained for crimes against Asian Tourists”
- 84% of fire brigades failed to report information to district commanders
- Minister of Interior reaffirms to voluntary firefighters that all avenues of dialogue are open in reform process
- Prevention of terrorism: Festive security precautions
- “Do more and even better” in the fight against fires in the coming years
- Six years in prison for former ATL employee who used minors for thefts
- Elderly woman killed in Foz Côa during house robbery
- Beware Counterfeit 50 Euro Bank notes in circulation
- Madeira – GNR Seize 580 litres of illegal alcoholic beverages
- Man sentenced to a year and a half in prison for stealing six euros
- Funchal – Streets closed in Funchal due to a suspicious object
- IPMA WEATHER WARNING HIGH SEAS, WINDS and HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS
- New Emergency Card Intends to improve communication between foreigners, authorities and medical emergency teams.
- PSP investigates dock assaults
