In the activity report that was delivered on Tuesday to the Ministry of Health by the executive director Fernando Araújo, who resigned at the end of April, the resigning team considers peremptorily: "The Operation Safe Birth in the NHS has proven to be safe".

"It is important to note that, despite the closures of the Gynecology/Obstetrics/Delivery Block emergency services, there was an increase in the total number of births in the NHS in 2023", reads the document.

Using data from the National Institute of Statistics, the team that is now leaving office highlights the decrease in infant mortality in the country, from 2.6 to 2.5 deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births, in 2023, which reinforces, considers the resigning team, "the safety and quality of the response to pregnant women and newborns in Portugal".

In this chapter, the DE-SNS recalls the shortage of doctors in these specialties, something that "is seen internationally, to which Portugal is not immune" and warns of the forecasts of the World Health Organization, according to which this difficulty will continue in the medium term.

The operation 'Safe Birth in the NHS' was implemented at the end of December 2022, throughout 2023, and in the first five months of 2024.

At issue is the articulation between institutions in the same geographical area and the integration of contingency plans.

The DE-SNS guarantees that with this plan, "proximity, with quality and safety" has been ensured.

"Despite several challenges, the NHS network operated effectively, establishing solutions with safety and quality: all pregnant women were promptly assisted, the most complex deliveries were performed within the NHS and, with rare exceptions due to constraints in the use of the system, the approach was always close and safe. No pregnant woman was left without a response, and all high-risk pregnant women were assisted in the NHS", reads a document of more than 600 pages.

In the same report, the resigning DE-SNS recalls the decision to maintain, overall, until May 31, the operating scheme of the Gynecology/Obstetrics Emergency Services that was in force until the first quarter of the year.

"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 the DE-SNS leadership, it is considered, once again, advisable to temporarily maintain the current model, during the month of May, with the exception of specific and urgent changes concerning the institutions located in the Setúbal Peninsula, until there is a strategic decision on the future of this operating model", it is mentioned.

Fernando Araújo announced his resignation, together with his team, on April 23, claiming not to want to be an obstacle to the Government in the policies and measures it considers necessary.

A day later, the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, accepted the resignation, emphasizing that the end of the mandate would be effective with the delivery of a report, a document that was delivered on Tuesday, before the end of the announced 60-day period.

The executive board began its activity on January 1, 2023, following the new NHS Statute proposed by the then Minister Marta Temido, with the aim of coordinating the healthcare response of all NHS units and modernizing its management.

The Ministry of Health announced today that it has chosen the doctor António Gandra d'Almeida to replace Fernando Araújo as executive director of the NHS and added that the lieutenant colonel has extensive experience in medical emergencies.

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