The Minister of Health today admitted the possibility of extending the use of voluntary termination of pregnancy to primary health care to overcome cases where access is difficult due to distance.
«It already existed in the north of the country, at the Amarante Health Centre, it was interrupted because of the pandemic and has not been resumed. We are working to resume this and, based on this response, organize the possibility in other places, (...) in primary health care, to solve the problem of a certain proximity and a certain distance», said Manuel Pizarro.
The minister, who was speaking at the Parliamentary Health Commission, where he was heard today at the request of the Bloco de Esquerda, Livre, Iniciativa Liberal and PCP on access to Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy, noted, however, that it is necessary «to respect the will of the woman in relation to the place where she wants to use this service".
He gave as an example the situation in the Alentejo and Algarve regions, where, regardless of whether or not there is access to IVG, women seek it out in other regions of the country.
"Probably, people want conditions of greater privacy, more modesty", he added.
During the hearing, Manuel Pizarro said he was still open to dialogue on the legal framework for the voluntary termination of pregnancy, but warned that this discussion should not turn a “success story of society and the National Health Service” into a failure.
The official also defended that it is necessary to «carefully examine what is happening in the health units», stating that there are very different situations.
«I can admit that in one or another health unit there is no access to IVG, as long as it is clear how women are guided to have simple access to IVG through the SNS», said the minister, stating that he also admits that there are hospitals whose human resources are very limited and cannot have teams to carry out this procedure.
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