Ministry of Health admits human error led to pregnant woman giving birth on the street due to shared services
In a shocking incident, a 28-year-old pregnant woman, who was 40 weeks and 5 days along, gave birth on the street in Carregado on Monday. According to system information, the hospital listed at that moment was the Beatriz Angelo in Loures, and the patient was incorrectly referred to the obstetric emergency of Loures, when the call should have been transferred to the INEM.
The incident began when the pregnant woman started experiencing contractions while with her parents and called the "Linha SNS Gravida" for an ambulance. However, she was instructed to drive to the hospital, despite being considered a high-risk patient. The family then attempted to contact the emergency number 112, but the call took some time to be answered and, according to reports, was answered in English, complicating communication.
The birth occurred on the street, with the help of the woman's parents, before the arrival of the Volunteer Firefighters of Alenquer, who were called by the CODU at 10h30 and arrived eight minutes later, when the birth had already occurred. A medical vehicle from Torres Vedras arrived later to provide assistance, and mother and baby were sent to the Hospital de Santarém, where they were reported to be in good health.
The pregnant woman was under care at the Health Centre of Alenquer and had requested, approximately three weeks earlier, to be under the care of the Maternity Alfredo da Costa in Lisbon, a request that was reportedly denied due to the high occupation of pregnant women nearing their due date at that hospital.
This occurrence highlighted serious vulnerabilities in the national health service, with criticism directed towards the assistance and emergency pre-hospital coordination in the case of urgent births, as reported by local media and the focus of the open ministerial investigation.
The Ministry of Health's Shared Services (SPMS) admitted to a human error in the triage and referral of the pregnant woman. However, no reason for the error in the triage and referral process was provided in the statement. Furthermore, no corrective actions taken by the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health were mentioned.
In response to this incident, Ana Paula Martins, the Minister of Health, has ordered the Inspection-General of Health Activities (IGAS) to open an inquiry into the assistance provided by Linha SNS 24 and the Center for Orientation of Urgent Patients (CODU) during the occurrence. The statement does not provide any details about the triage process or the call response time.
- The incident underscores the importance of addressing mental health, as the stress and confusion experienced by the pregnant woman and her family could have been alleviated with clearer communication and more efficient medical-conditions management.
- In light of the incident, it is crucial to promote health-and-wellness through fitness-and-exercise during pregnancy to ensure a healthier mother and baby, potentially reducing the chances of emergency situations like this one.
- The Ministry of Health must focus on improving the science and technology infrastructure of their Shared Services (SPMS) to minimize human errors in triage and referral processes, enhancing the overall mental health and wellbeing of their patients.
