Updates

In the last couple of years Portugal has faced a critical shortage of professionals in gynecology and obstetrics emergency departments, leading to frequent service closures and increased anxiety among pregnant women and families. In response to this situation, the Portuguese government launched a pilot reorganization plan in December 2024, under the 2024 Emergency and Transformation Plan for Health, which is still ongoing in 2025. Implemented in 11 Local Health Units (ULS), the model introduces pre-triage via the SNS 24 hotline, redirecting non-urgent cases to primary care or hospital consultations within 24 hours. Urgent cases are still admitted directly, while hospitals have created open-access consultations and have improved signage and communication. Nurses and administrative staff have received training to support the new system. However, staff shortages persist with a high dependency on temporary contracts of health professionals. The pre-triage system has been criticized for potentially delaying urgent care and implementation lacks uniformity and clarity. Further, it has been discussed that communication with patients and professionals needs improvement.