Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 31st August 2022
Good morning – The highlight of the week, (certainly dominating the media yesterday) was the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, presenting her resignation to the Prime Minister because she “understands that she is no longer able to remain in office”, according to a note sent by the ministry to newsrooms.
Her resignation, is the first ‘weight loss’ in the XXIII Constitutional Government, which took office exactly five months ago, on March 30th.
In response, “The Prime Minister gave thanks for all the work developed by Dr. Marta Temido, especially in the exceptional period of combating the COVID19 pandemic. The Prime Minister, António Costa, admitted today that the death of a pregnant woman transferred from Hospital de Santa Maria was the “final straw” that led to the resignation of the Minister of Health. The Government will continue the ongoing reforms with a view to strengthening the SNS and improving the health care provided to the Portuguese.”
Marta Temido began her duties as Minister of Health in October 2018 and was minister during the last three executives led by socialist António Costa. During her mandates, Marta Temido was at the centre of the management of the pandemic, which began in 2020, but also went through several controversies. Recently, the closure of emergency obstetrics services in several hospitals due to a lack of doctors to fill the scales put pressure on the ministry.
The minister who became the most popular in the Government could it would appear no longer stand up to the pressure. Her departure comes at a time when many of the issues and problems, for instances staff shortages, retention of professionals, left over from pandemic are now emerging, as there are in many health systems overseas. The succession of clinical cases with political collage will continue to make headlines over the coming months, exploited by other political parties and other groups.
The prime minister made it known that Marta Temido’s succession will not be immediate. In part, the meaning of this statement is unclear: does the minister remain in day-to-day management? In part, it means that a substantive decision on a new team at the Ministry of Health is expected.
The prime minister said that he hopes that the outgoing Health Minister, will still choose the executive direction of the SNS and take it to the Council of Ministers, which should meet on September 15. António Costa admitted that he “was not counting” on the resignation and revealed that the death of a pregnant woman on Saturday surpassed the “red line” that she had settled for herself. And he added: “this time”, he had to accept the minister’s request.
The prime minister says he has not yet had time to think of a replacement for Marta Temido and insists that the minister still present to the Council of Ministers on the 8th or 15th September the regulation of the Statute of the National Health Service (SNS). “It is better to conclude this work that is in progress and then move on with our lives”,
At Safe Communities for over two years we closely monitored every day the development of the pandemic, including the decisions and announcements made by the Minister. Although there were changes and even mistakes that were made, the fact is that she dealt decisively with this unprecedented pandemic, which affected everyone in some shape of form. It would be an extraordinary miracle if, in the midst of the circumstances, everything had always gone according to plan. It was a major crisis and although easy to criticise, her legacy should be that she was a minister who faced up to the challenge and saw it through. The pressure she was under would have been considerable.
Portugal had one of the best performances in the world in the fight against the pandemic recognized by international institutions, a view that was frequently made to us by foreign residents here as well as visitors. If there is any doubt on that point please visit our Covid-19 Positive messages page where you can see some of these. We should be thanking her for her work.
On a different note whereas we have been focusing on fires for some time, it was “a few drops of rain in the Algarve” on Sunday that caught the attention of our Facebook followers. The amount of rain did not materialize as the maps indicated but it did not stop around 120 of you sharing your “rain drop” experiences – the post reaching around 12,000 people. Seriously however, this reflects the desperate need there is for a protracted period of rain to in anyway help address the extreme drought problem in the region.
Even in the north there was generally little rain, and only a few isolated intense rain and hail showers. This is not the type of rain we need, because when it falls on earth which has been parched by the sun for several months, it does not soak in but runs off causing flooding.
News
Marcelo: “I prefer a more autonomous and independent SNS from the Ministry of Health”
President of the Republic declined to comment on Marta Temido’s departure, but revealed his preference for the future of the National Health System.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was present, in a virtual way, at the PSD Summer University, and was questioned by some young people about Marta Temido’s departure. The president of Portugal did not elaborate much on the matter, but made a point of revealing his idea for the National Health System.
“I have a preference, which I haven’t hidden for a long time, about the way the SNS is managed. More autonomous and independent from the Ministry of Health, since a classic form of dependence has shown limits to its effectiveness”, he stressed reiterating once again he did not want to comment on the departure of the Minister of Health.
“As you can imagine, I will not comment on the specific case. As I said in a note that I published today, I am awaiting the exoneration proposal in formal terms and the corresponding proposal for the appointment of a substitute”, limited himself to affirming the head of state.
“I would answer in a different way, so as not to comment on the concrete question [about the future Minister of Health], which I understand is the question of the day, and it is, therefore, your question of the day, but I am not a political analyst and, therefore, I will not respond in this context”, he said.
Marcelo considered that there was “a consensus” that the response to the problems of the health sector “is not ideological”, but “largely organizational and functional”.
The President of the Republic said he expected further clarifications regarding the regulation, namely on the top management scheme, the executive direction of the SNS, and the scheme of combining decentralization and the transfer of regional health administrations to this decentralization scheme.
IGAS will investigate the case of the death of a pregnant woman transferred to São Francisco Xavier
The Inspectorate-General for Health Activities (IGAS) announced this Tuesday that it will institute an inspection of the transfer of the 31-week pregnant woman from the Hospital de Santa Maria to the Hospital de São Francisco Xavier, in Lisbon, “due to an alleged lack of vacancy” in the Neonatology Service of the first hospital unit”.
In a statement sent to the newsrooms, the organization explains that the investigation is intended to understand “the reason why the user was transferred”, “who were responsible for the transfer decision and under what clinical assumptions they ensured that the user could be transferred safely “, “what was the situation of the Neonatology Service of the Hospital de Santa Maria on the date of the patient’s transfer”, “in what circumstances the death occurred” and if “there were alternative and safer solutions to the transference of the patient”.
It should be remembered that the Hospital de Santa Maria clarified this Tuesday that the 34-year-old woman, of Indian nationality, resorted to its emergency department “due to a feeling of shortness of breath and tachycardia” and received all the necessary care.
At the time of the patient’s transfer – which the hospital justifies with the fact that it would be more beneficial for the baby, who suffered from a “growth restriction”, to be born in the place where he can be assisted – the pregnant woman “was stabilized”.
“It is scientifically proven that it is better for the baby to be born in the place where it will be assisted”, explained the doctor, which is why the Neonatology and Obstetrics team decided to transfer her.
“It is not a rare situation. Transfers take place in all hospitals”, he guaranteed, assuring that “it was not at all expected”, given the clinical situation in which the woman left the hospital, that there was a cardiorespiratory arrest.
During the trip, the woman suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest, and resuscitation was performed on the trip. At Hospital São Francisco Xavier “she underwent an urgent cesarean section”, and the newborn was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit “due to prematurity”. Her mother, who was admitted to intensive care, would eventually die. The baby remains hospitalized in the neonatology of Hospital São Francisco Xavier.
Man caught with 360 kilos of drugs to sell in the North region
The Judicial Police (PJ) detained a man suspected of being part of a “criminal structure” of drug trafficking, from whom 360.5 kilos of hashish and liamba were seized to be sold in the North of Portugal
The 31-year-old detainee, with a police record for the same crime, was in preventive detention – a more serious measure of coercion – after being brought to court, the PJ said in a statement.
According to the PJ, the suspect had in his possession 353 kilos of hashish and 7.5 kilos of liamba, a drug that was destined for the national market in the North region, he explained.
“The police action, resulting from intense work to collect information and surveillance of suspects, made it possible to remove substances from circulation that would be used for the preparation of 1,765,000 individual doses of hashish and 37,950 of liamba”, he underlined.
The PJ revealed that investigative efforts will continue to identify and hold others responsible for the “criminal structure” accountable.
“Recent variations in the international market in reference prices for oil and energy products justify an adjustment in the Maximum Public Sale Price (PMVP) of IO 95 gasoline, diesel for road use and fuel”, reads the statement. order that sets the maximum prices for the sale to the public of fuels in the Azores, which comes into force on 1stof September.
On board the sailboat SV Satori, which was sailing “574 kilometres north of the island of Terceira”, were “two children and two adults of English and Canadian nationality”.
The mayor addressed the Secretary of State during the commemorative ceremony of the 135th anniversary of the PSP’s Faro District Command, which took place at the António Aleixo Cultural Centre, in VRSA.
“There are small gestures that can make a difference and that allow you to save several litres of water per minute, namely in the use of the kitchen, bathroom, laundry, garden, swimming pools and vegetable gardens”, emphasises José Carlos Rolo quoted in a press release.
Paulo Águas, rector of UAlg, defended that the creation of the new hub “is part of the university’s mission”, an institution that “only benefits from a region that has “a more diversified economy and can generate more qualified work”.
According to a note released by the SEF, so far 50,632 temporary protections have been granted to Ukrainian citizens and foreigners residing in that country, divided between 30,309 women and 20,323 men.The municipalities with the highest number of temporary protections awarded continue to be Lisbon (10,763), Cascais (3,020), Porto (2,450), Sintra (1,733) and Albufeira (1,264).
The alert was received at 17:53 by the lifeguards who were on duty and elements of the SeaWatch and INEM project were activated for the site.
Through liaison with the ANEPC we ascertained that in the Algarve the risk was extremely high and that on the Sunday there was a red alert in terms of readiness by the civil protection and its agents. This is the highest level that can be issued and only when there is “an extremely dangerous situation”. As such and given the forecast weather conditions, particularly the high winds forecast, we decided to monitor the fire situation at regular intervals overnight on Sunday/Monday. This was prudent as there was a moderate fire in near Salir, Loule at around 0330 hrs that mobilised over a hundred operatives, with complications due to strong winds over 35 km/h and lack of Ariel support as it was night-time. The fire was brought to a conclusion after six hours.
But this is not the reality of the Iberian Peninsula, as the Joint Research Center estimates “weather conditions are drier than normal in western Spain and eastern Portugal”, as well as in the entire western Euro-Mediterranean region, where “some risks may persist”.
The three-day stop of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline imposed by Russia for “maintenance”, but which is being interpreted by Europe as blackmail from Moscow on the threshold of a winter when energy will be scarce, is putting pressure on the euro against to the dollar to such an extent that the single currency fell to two-decade lows on Tuesday, August 23.
In a press release, the IPMA adds that, on the islands of the western group (Flores and Corvo) “rainfall is sometimes expected”, which can “be accompanied by thunderstorms”, from 00:00 to 18:00 local time (19:00 in Lisbon) today.
In a press release, the IPMA adds that, on the islands of the western group (Flores and Corvo) “rainfall is sometimes expected”, which can “be accompanied by thunderstorms”, from 00:00 to 18:00 local time (19:00 in Lisbon) today.
The 28 crawler machines “were strategically prepositioned according to the territorial reality of each municipality and are the guarantee of an anticipated projection by the regional command, in the expanded attack effort”.
The alert was given shortly after midnight through the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, and elements of the local Command of the Maritime Police of Olhão, the Municipal Fire Department of Olhão and INEM were activated for the scene.
The determination of the regional health delegate was expressed in a note published on the website of the Algarve Regional Health Administration (ARS), following the air quality monitoring report commissioned by the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission ( CCDR ). .
At the IPMA we learned about various patterns that impact our daily weather, such as the position of the predominant high pressure system near the Azores. How this system moves influences the chance of rain and causes the variation in temperature throughout the Iberian Peninsula. Another issue of interest was the warming of sea water and how this can impact on weather conditions.
“We will have in September, as a rule, warmer weather than in previous Septembers. Between 50% and 60% hotter and between 40% and 50% drier”, said José Luís Carneiro, reiterating that “this says everything about the added risks that we will have to face” until the end of the summer.
“The proposal that the PJ has is that in a couple of years we can reach 1,800 inspectors and we are very legitimately expectant, positively expectant, that this plan will meet our desire”, said the national director of the Judiciary Police (PJ). ), Luís Neves, to journalists, at the end of the inauguration of two new directors, which took place at the headquarters of this police in Lisbon.
The GNR recalls that, at any time of the year, it is forbidden to burn cut and piled woods and any type of forest or agricultural leftovers, as well as burning without asking for authorization or making prior communication. The GNR indicated that this year it has so far arrested 68 people for forest fire, 16 more than in the whole of last year (when it made a total of 52 arrests).
This rescue took place through the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre of Lisbon, in conjunction with the Captaincy of the Port of Portimão and the Guidance Centre for Urgent Patients Mar. The information was received at 18:57 and the urgent need to evacuate the victim was confirmed.
Isabel Frade, representing the Portuguese Institute for Youth and Sports ( IPDJ ), reiterated “the difficult role that youth face”, stressing that the IPDJ “is always open to welcome and support the ideas and projects presented by the young people”.