Five nurses and two operational assistants at the Hospital de Portimão have Latent Tuberculosis (not contagious), after having come into contact with a patient infected with this disease last October.
The Nurses Union made the the state of play of a case that I had already denounced a few months ago and accused the administration of the Centro Hospitalar do Algarve (CHA) of not having done as indicated by the norms of the General Directorate of Health.
The union leaders said, in a press release sent to the newsrooms, that these seven health professionals are part of the group of 28 who have been in contact with an infected patient and who have already “reported this situation to the General Inspection of Health Activities, which is investigating, and to the General Directorate of Health».
Contacted by Sul Informação, the chairman of the Board of Directors of CHA Pedro Nunes considered that the complaint made by the nurses is "an old conversation" and that the team he directs has already done what was incumbent on it, that is, deliver the matter to the occupational health service.
“As soon as the situation was detected, it was placed in its own headquarters. The inspection already asked and the service told them what was being done. (…) Fortunately, no one is sick», he added.
According to the union, a person who has latent tuberculosis does not show symptoms or signs of disease, "however, there is a risk that the person will develop them."
And that's why he criticizes the delay in the entire procedure. "As the CHA became aware on 31 October 2014 of the unprotected exposure situation of professionals in Portimão, only half a year later it completed the risk assessment", they say, which endangered "not only the health of professionals (which is only now start the medication with a duration of 6 months)", but also risked "a possible contagion to their families and patients".
«Questioned about this matter, Secretary of State Leal da Costa said in February, at the Parliamentary Health Commission that “the Hospital of Faro he knows what he has to do and we can only hope that he will do what he has to do in contexts of this kind [according to the norms established by the DGS]”. (…) In a situation of this gravity, the Secretary of State should have taken the necessary steps to find out what was done in this situation and similar ones», defend the union members.
Another issue raised by the SEP was the lack of protective material. «The lack of health professionals and materials (including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)) in institutions and the lack of biannual consultations and periodic examinations in accordance with Law 102/2009, lead to an increase in occupational accidents and work-related illnesses. . Not even the casualties that have existed for musculoskeletal injuries led the CHA to provide work doctors for the amount of workers it has," they accuse.
Pedro Nunes, despite refusing to make a broad comment on the position taken by the nurses' representatives, guaranteed that “there is no lack of protective equipment at the CHA”.
And he again stated that he is open to providing any clarification that nurses need, in the first person. "When they want to talk about any subject, they just have to make an appointment with me," he said.
The union argues that “health professionals, specifically nurses, take care of people, but no one takes care of them. "Not even the salary they earn compensates for the risk they run, and the Ministry of Health insists on not correcting this reality", they conclude.
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