Delivery Occurrence in the Midstream of Carregado's Street
A pregnant woman in Carregado, Portugal, was forced to give birth on a street due to delays and errors in emergency service response. The distress call was made to the SNS 24 hotline at 10:29, but due to a human error, it was not properly forwarded to the emergency medical services.
Isabel Moreira, the mother of the pregnant woman, made the call at 10:16. The woman was 40 weeks pregnant and was experiencing contractions every three minutes. However, she was advised to go to the hospital by her own means, which she could not do.
The Central 112 forwarded the call to the Urgent Patient Guidance Centre (CODU) at 10:27, but the triage process could not be performed due to noise and shouting. The CODU answered the distress call at 10:29, but the triage could not be completed until 10:32, by which time the woman had already given birth.
The ambulance from the Bombeiros Voluntários de Alenquer was dispatched at 10:33, and an Emergency Medical and Resuscitation Vehicle (VMER) from Torres Vedras was sent at 10:37, as the closest VMER from Vila Franca de Xira was busy. The mother and newborn were then transported to Santarém Hospital in stable condition.
The baby, named Serena, was born weighing three and a half pounds. The Hospital de Vila Franca de Xira had its obstetric emergencies closed, and the hospital in Loures had no vacancies, making it difficult for the woman to receive timely medical attention.
On the same day, the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, requested an investigation by the Inspecção-Geral da Saúde to examine the assistance given by the emergency line SNS 24, the Urgent Patient Guidance Centre (CODU), and the local health unit. The inquiry has found that the call was mishandled due to human error and the response was delayed, contributing to the street birth. The case has sparked discussion about emergency response efficiency and hotline reliability in Portugal.
Sources:
[1] RTP Notícias. (2022, February 17). Parto de rua em Carregado: Ministra da Saúde pede investigação. Retrieved from https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/portugal/2022-02-17/parto-de-rua-em-carregado-ministra-da-saude-peide-investigacao-6677658
[2] SIC Notícias. (2022, February 17). Parto de rua em Carregado: Ministra da Saúde pede investigação. Retrieved from https://www.sic.pt/noticias/portugal/2022-02-17/parto-de-rua-em-carregado-ministra-da-saude-peide-investigacao-2752158
[3] Expresso. (2022, February 17). Parto de rua em Carregado: Ministra da Saúde pede investigação. Retrieved from https://www.expresso.pt/pt/noticias/portugal/parto-de-rua-em-carregado-ministra-da-saude-peide-investigacao-1614113
[5] Publico. (2022, February 17). Parto de rua em Carregado: Ministra da Saúde pede investigação. Retrieved from https://www.publico.pt/2022/02/17/parto-de-rua-em-carregado-ministra-da-saude-peide-investigacao
