The University Hospital Centre of the Algarve (CHUA) will be without pediatric emergency staff overnight from next month due to lack of professionals, in addition to Portimão already being in the same situation for some time.
The number of professionals is insufficient to cover overnight care from October onwards. Doctors are asking for solutions. Pediatricians in Faro sent an appeal to the Ministry of Health, the Medical Association and the CHUA Administration two weeks ago, but there is still no solution.
The pediatric team in Faro has 13 doctors, six of which are over 55 years old , so discharged from emergency care completely, plus one who is over 50 years old so discharged from night emergencies.
Of the six remaining doctors on the team, two are on extended leave and another left at the beginning of the week. With just three specialists left available to work it is "impossible to cover the needs, even with the service director helping". The pandemic aggravated the situation because the emergencies were divided into "suspected covid-19" and "non-covid", requiring two professionals.
"The problem is not new," admits one of the pediatricians, who does not want to be identified, even though the letter sent to the authorities was signed by all specialists and residents. "We have appealed for staff to fill open positions but we have not been able to attract pediatricians, who are already scarce throughout the country", explained the doctor.
"But someone has to solve it, because this situation also hinders the training of new specialists, who might want to stay in the Algarve, but we are not being able to provide the training we should".
The pediatric teams have been supported by "other specialties, such as general medicine" up until now, but without night staff in October, the Algarve will not be able to provide emergency care for the estimated 57,000 children and young people who may need it in the Algarve region.
The Administration of CHUA however have assured journalists that they will be "providing sufficient staff with specialist pediatric physicians during October".
As for a permanent solution to the shortage of professionals in the region, CHUA added, they have "been intervening at all levels are in contact with the ARS Algarve", in addition to seeking "reinforcements from the Boards of Directors of the main hospitals in the country" and "placing advertisements in the press with the same objective".
Asked about the problem, the Ministry of Health did not respond.
