Portugal’s health minister, Ana Paula Martins, said a pilot programme will allow specialist nurses to monitor low-risk pregnancies in primary care when women do not have an assigned family doctor. She said some patients without a family doctor struggle to get an appointment with an available doctor, leaving them without timely follow-up.
The government’s model has drawn criticism from the Portuguese Medical Association and the Association of General and Family Medicine. Both organisations have called for it to be reviewed, arguing that it does not ensure family doctors are regularly and directly involved in monitoring low-risk pregnancies. They described the change as an “unacceptable setback.”
Martins acknowledged that people without a family health team may face delays for same-day appointments or end up going to a hospital emergency department. She said pregnancies still need regular monitoring and that the pilot uses skills specialist nurses in maternal and obstetric health already apply in maternity services and primary care.
The minister said the programme follows guidance from the Directorate-General of Health. If a pregnant woman shows signs requiring a doctor’s care, she will be referred to a medical team, Martins said.
The pilot was set out in an order published in Portugal’s official gazette last week. The Portuguese Nurses’ Association called the measure a “historic milestone” for the profession.
Sources: Observador.