Presidential candidate António Filipe stated this Monday, November 3, that the case of the pregnant woman and her baby who died at the Amadora-Sintra Hospital is serious, as is the reaction of the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins.
Speaking in Funchal, the candidate supported by the PCP highlighted that the woman “was followed in the National Health Service, contrary to what the Minister of Health stated in parliament”.
“And, therefore, this fact is also particularly serious, not only the fact itself, what happened, but also the way the Minister of Health reacted to it”, defended António Filipe, after an audience with the representative of the Republic for Madeira, Ireneu Barreto, at the Palácio de São Lourenço.
The presidential candidate considered “unacceptable” the increase in cases of babies being born in ambulances, private cars or even in a hospital reception, adding that to this news is added the “budgetary perspectives for the next year of cuts in the National Health Service”.
“In a situation like this, already so degraded, there is the prospect of cuts in funding for the National Health Service, this is extremely worrying. Therefore, I think that candidates for the Presidency of the Republic cannot remain indifferent to this, they must speak out”, he said.
António Filipe insisted that, regardless of who is responsible for supervision, “there must be an investment policy in the National Health Service, the Constitution requires it, and so do the Portuguese”, stressing that the population is aware of the importance of the SNS “for resolving their problems”.
The candidate, who is in Madeira on a two-day visit, which began today with the presentation of greetings to the president of the Regional Legislative Assembly, Rubina Leal, said that the audience with Ireneu Barreto was “complimentary” and “there were no substantial topics under discussion” during the meeting.
Regarding the position of representative of the Republic, whose extinction is defended by several political parties, the communist considers the role appropriate, pointing out that he does not defend “a constitutional review to alter the characteristics of this constitutional figure”.
On Tuesday, António Filipe meets with the Union of Trade Unions of Madeira, in the morning, and in the afternoon, a contact action is planned with the workers at the Viveiros da Câmara do Funchal station.