The Algarve’s local hospital board, ULS Algarve, has rejected allegations of undignified and inhumane conditions at Portimão Hospital's Accident and Emergency department, insisting it is untrue that patients are left waiting in extreme heat or inside ambulances.
In a statement signed by Tiago Botelho, chairman of the ULS Algarve board, the health authority described the claims as "completely false".
"It is completely false that patients and casualties transported by ambulance are left waiting for long periods outside, exposed to extremely high temperatures," the statement reads.
Botelho acknowledged that the emergency department at Hospital do Barlavento Algarvio, in Portimão, has experienced increased demand since the start of the summer, as have the Algarve's other five emergency care units. However, he said that although there are periods of heavier attendance during the day, triage waiting times are generally not as long as those reported.
The response follows allegations made earlier on Monday, 20 July, by the Commission of Service Users in Defence of Public Services (CUDESP), which described conditions at Portimão A&E as "undignified and inhumane", claiming patients are forced to remain inside ambulances whilst waiting to be admitted, often in high temperatures.
According to the organisation, "patients and casualties transported by ambulance spend prolonged periods waiting outside the emergency department, frequently inside the ambulances themselves, exposed to extremely high temperatures".
The complaint, reported by Portuguese news agency Lusa, also alleged that patients are often transferred from ambulances into the emergency department in full view of passers-by and that triage is carried out without adequate privacy.
ULS Algarve has firmly denied those allegations, stating that Portimão's emergency department has maintained the availability of stretchers, that there have been no delays affecting pre-hospital emergency teams, and that it is "absolutely false" that patient transfers take place without privacy.
Botelho described what he called the "alarmist tone" of the allegations as "unfounded and unwarranted". He also questioned the standing of CUDESP, describing it as "an unknown organisation that has never sought dialogue with ULS Algarve", and said it was therefore legitimate to question whether it genuinely represents users of Portimão Hospital in the western Algarve.
He further argued that the decision to publicise the allegations on a Sunday, rather than first seeking clarification from the hospital's management, reinforced "the suspicion that interests other than the straightforward defence of public healthcare services may be at play".
Source: LUSA
Photo credit: Archive
