In information sent to fire corporations to which the Lusa agency had access, it is stated that the Local Health Unit of the Leiria Region (ULS RL), which includes the Santo André Hospital, in Leiria, "will encounter constraints in the emergency service". In the case of the "Gynecological/Obstetric emergency and delivery room, it will close to the public from 9:00 am on Friday, May 17, until 9:00 am on Monday, May 20". As for the Pediatric emergency, it will be "closed to the public from 9:00 am on Saturday, May 18, until 9:00 am on Monday, May 20". The emergency services "should transmit data to the CODU [Urgent Patient Referral Center] for the respective referral". According to the maps published on the ULS RL Facebook page, this month the Gynecological/Obstetric emergency and delivery room of the Leiria hospital will also be closed to the public on the 31st. These closures are the result of a decision by the Executive Board of the National Health Service (DE-SNS), said a hospital source. Earlier this month, Lusa reported that the DE-SNS had decided to maintain, overall, until May 31, the operating scheme for the Gynecology/Obstetrics emergency services that was in force until the first quarter of the year. In a note published on the DE-SNS website on April 30, and signed by the outgoing executive director Fernando Araújo, it was determined to maintain "overall, the operating scheme of the 'Safe Birth in the NHS' Operation, until May 31, 2024". "Given the technical complexity associated with the proposed changes and the need for their detailed assessment by the supervisory authority in a context of transition of leadership of the NHS Executive Board, it is once again considered advisable to temporarily maintain the current model during the month of May". The document recalls that since December 2022 and throughout 2023, and also in the first four months of this year, the DE-SNS decisions were implemented, within the scope of the 'Safe Birth in the NHS' Operation, "promoting coordination between institutions in the same geographic area and the integration of contingency plans, ensuring proximity, with quality and safety". Since then, and in order to respond to the constraints felt in the specialty emergencies due to the shortage of doctors in the area, the 43 gynecology and obstetrics emergencies in the country have been operating according to a map, reinforcing network work and the concentration of professionals. Also Read: Government authorizes ULS to hire 250 doctors for "emergency" cases (Portuguese version)