As a way of “giving voice to the appeals of patients and families,” the Portuguese Labour Party – PTP, denounced that there are patients who have been stranded for days in the A & E department at the Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital, due to the lack of available beds.
In a press release, the PTP reports a first-person account of a family member who is “indignant” with the situation. The patient’s family stated:
“I came to visit X in the hospital, she stayed in the emergency room in the corridor, because there are no vacancies in the wards. They are placed in a row, to see people in the corridors. I had never seen anything like it: (they call the patient’s name), you put your finger in the air, and you stand in line, then a nurse guides you through various corridors, full of people in the same situation. There must be more than 100 people, in various parts of the emergency room.”
In conclusion, the PTP “expresses absolute solidarity with families and patients treated and cared for in corridors and absolutely repudiates the current situation of health situation in Madeira.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com