The Birthing Block of the hospital in Faro is at risk of closing its cesarean operating room due to lack of nurses, denounced this Wednesday, the 15th, the Portuguese Nurses Union.
“There are 40 nurses, working for 50 and there should be 70!”, emphasizes the SEP, in a statement.
According to the Union, by the end of the week, a petition will be delivered to the Board of Directors of CHUA and the Ministry of Health, "alert to the increased risks caused by the shortage of nurses", communicating that "the closure of the cesarean operating room”.
The Union recalls that, «according to the Safe Staffing Regulation of the Order of Nurses, for the Delivery Block of the Hospital Unit of Faro, the calculation points to the need for 70 nurses, but, at the moment, there are only 40 working».
In other words, “they are below what is necessary to ensure a quality and safe service to pregnant women and newborns, since 9 are scheduled in each shift, when there should be 12”.
This situation worsens «with the closure of the Portimão birthing block».
Nurses report “having reached unbearable levels of exhaustion by working 16 hours straight, and several weeks without time off to ensure the 1800 overtime monthly hours that are necessary”.
The Union also denounces that they are to enjoy «about 2000 days of rest».
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