The Local Health Unit (ULS) Amadora/Sintra, which is part of Hospital Doutor Fernando Fonseca, today justified the high waiting times in emergency rooms with the “significant increase in the number of admissions” due to the cold.
“This increase is mainly associated with cases of respiratory infections and the worsening of chronic diseases” and “the high demand has caused longer waiting times and affected the efficiency in treating new cases”, indicates ULS Amadora/Sintra in a statement .
He adds that, “between 08:00 on Friday and 08:00 today, 831 admissions were recorded in the different emergencies: General Emergency, Pediatric Emergency, Obstetric Emergency, Gynecological Emergency and Basic Emergency (SUB), located in Algueirão -Mem Martins.”
Data made available on the National Health Service (SNS) Portal indicated that, shortly after 6:30 p.m., 49 urgent patients (green bracelet) were waiting for care at the central emergency department of Hospital Fernando Fonseca, with an average waiting time of 10 hours and 19 hours. minutes. .
According to the update at 9pm, the average waiting time for these patients was 14 minutes, waiting for 51 people to be seen.
ULS Amadora/Sintra points out that emergency professionals “have given their utmost to ensure the functioning” of services, “even under intense pressure due to high demand”, adding that “the vast team works with commitment and resilience to ensure that each user receives the necessary attention and care”.
Note also that, during this period, only 22% of users (186) previously used the SNS24 line, as requested by the SUS “to ensure that emergencies remain available for the most serious and urgent cases”.
In relation to other health units and according to updates made between 9pm and 9:15pm, data relating to Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, in Loures, indicated an average waiting time of one hour and 35 minutes for urgent patients, with 32 people waiting service, while at Hospital São Francisco Xavier (Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Oeste) 20 urgent patients waited an average of two hours and 11 minutes.
At Santa Maria Hospital (Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte) nine people were waiting, with an average time of one hour and 42 minutes, and at the central emergency department of Hospital de São João, in Porto, the 16 urgent patients had expected an average waiting time of two hours and 20 minutes.
These data refer to the average waiting time for care in the last two hours and the number of patients presented includes those awaiting first care, after screening, and test results.
Source: rr.sapo.pt
