Human error prevented the call of a pregnant woman who gave birth on the street from being forwarded to INEM

A “human error” meant that the distress call from a pregnant woman who gave birth in the street was not forwarded to the INEM, a preliminary investigation by the Ministry of Health’s Shared Services (SPMS) released today found.

"According to a preliminary investigation requested by SPMS from the private operator of the SNS 24 Line, there was a human error in the application of the triage algorithm and in the routing, resulting in the call not being transferred to INEM – National Institute of Medical Emergency", reads the SPMS press release.

According to the statement, the private operator of the SNS 24 Line – Altice – was asked to investigate to “assess what happened” in the call regarding the pregnant woman from Carregado, who ended up giving birth to the baby on the street, before an ambulance arrived at the scene.

The call made to the dedicated SNS Grávida line, at 10:16 on August 11 “was answered by a nurse within 17 seconds”, adding the statement that “the triage process lasted around four minutes”, which resulted in referral to Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, in Loures, “the healthcare provider available in the information system”.

According to SPMS, the call should have been forwarded to INEM.

Contacted by Lusa, the SPMS said it was unable to provide further clarification on the information provided in the statement about the case, stating that the investigation is ongoing and that not all people involved have yet been heard.

“SPMS regrets the reported facts and reaffirms its commitment to the continuous improvement of the services provided by Linha SNS 24,” the statement concluded.

The Minister of Health requested the General Inspectorate of Health Activities (IGAS) to open an investigation into the case of a young pregnant woman who gave birth on a street in Carregado, in the municipality of Alenquer.

“The procedure has already been determined by the Inspector General of Health Activities to investigate the facts relating to the assistance provided by the SNS 24 Line and the Urgent Patient Guidance Center (CODU), at the time of the incident, as well as the assistance provided by the Tagus Estuary Local Health Unit to the pregnant woman,” said the Ministry of Health in a statement.

Contacted by Lusa news agency, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) stated that Central 112 forwarded the distress call, which was answered by CODU at 10:29.

The CODU activated an ambulance from the Alenquer Volunteer Fire Department to the scene at 10:33, and the Emergency Medical and Resuscitation Vehicle (VMER) from Torres Vedras at 10:37, as the one from Vila Franca de Xira was engaged in another incident.

According to INEM, the mother and baby were transported to Santarém Hospital, accompanied by a VMER doctor.

The commander of the Alenquer fire department, Daniel Ribeiro, told Lusa that the corporation received a call from the CODU, with an ambulance leaving for the incident at 10:30 and arriving at the scene at 10:38.