A woman gave birth this Friday, March 17, in an ambulance in the parking lot of Hospital de Santa Maria, in Lisbon, after Moita firefighters received an indication that she could not go to Hospital do Barreiro, where “she was scheduled to give birth today, at 9am”.
The news was reported by SIC Notícias, to which Pedro Ferreira, commander of the Moita fire department, said that they were called at around 7:00 am for a woman in labor and, “on the recommendation of CODU [Centro de Orientação de Doentes Urgentes]”, the 39-week pregnant woman “couldn’t go to Barreiro and the order from CODU was to go to Santa Maria.” “That’s what was done, with the support of VMER and then with PSP scouts”, he added to that news channel. The journey, of around 40 kilometers, will have taken more than an hour.
“According to the team, they had to stop in Sete Rios because the birth was imminent, anyway they arrived in Santa Maria, but didn’t get past the parking lot”, reported the commander.
Last year, this fire department carried out 15 births in ambulances, which raises concern, says Pedro Ferreira. “It’s an excessive number for a corporation, it’s an excessive number for Portugal. It’s not in ambulances that children should be born. They should be born, rather, in a birthing block. Of course, it worries us because there are always risks for the mother, the baby and the crew [das ambulâncias]”, he stated.
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