Patients in recent days have been forced to wait for up to 13 hours to be seen by medical staff in the Emergency Department at the national health service hospital in Lagos due to a lack of doctors.
According to the local Communist (PCP) party, these events “reveal the growing deterioration of the conditions in the health service and this hospital which serves the population not only of Lagos, but also the neighbouring municipalities of Vila do Bispo and Aljezur.”
"The problems of these patients and of the employees of the hospital are the result of coalition government policy whose indisputable objective is the destruction of the National Health Service, as has been publicly denounced by the PCP," a statement read.
The Communists complain that patients are being sent to Faro hospital as that there are no beds available in Lagos or Portimão hospitals where bed numbers have been reduced."
"Given the worsening conditions, the communist party calls for widespread protest in order to get the NHS back on track and with appropriate working conditions for all health professionals so as to comply with the Constitution of the Republic."
Meanwhile, the letter send to heath chiefs last Friday by the Algarve doctors has elicited a stiff response from the President of the Hospitals of the Algarve, Paulo Nunes, who was the subject of harsh criticism over his abilities and management style.
Nunes said that it was unfair and “ridiculous to talk of lack of medicines in Faro and Portimão and to say that operations had been cancelled as a result."
The petition signed by 182 doctors last week outlined postponements of scheduled surgeries due to a lack of materials and of medicines.
"It is absolutely ridiculous and disloyal to say there is an absence of oncology drugs or missing HIV medications," said Nunes, who then admitted that there are difficulties over the timing of incoming funds as if there is an overspend in December then purchases in January are impossible without “violating the law.”
Pedro Nunes then admitted an occasional lack of a medicine, but assured that the problem has been solved, adding "I find it regrettable that there is political exploitation of these situations, because the Algarve needs reassurance and tourists need to know that Portugal is a great place for people to come on holiday without reading that the hospitals in the Algarve have run out of this or that, when in reality we are making a tremendous effort in this very difficult situation that faces the country."
"The patient, if for any reason arrived and there was a drug, this drug is borrowed is the process to replace it is initiated. So far there has not been any significant failures in Faro or Portimão hospitals and therefore to raise this is unacceptable. Nunes also noted that surgeries are planned at least 15 days in advance and the doctors have adequate time to order in what they need.
Nunes stated that before he took over this was not the case and everyone ordered everything that could possibly be needed, hence Faro hospital has a €70 million debt.
Pedro Nunes reminded doctors that they need order in advance as "today bureaucratic procedure is slower," adding that for the Faro and Portimão hospitals there had been a merging of the computer systems and applications were modified this year which caused delays.
