Dual Tragedy at Lisbon Maternity Ward Sparks Nationwide Obstetrics Review

Tragic deaths of mother and newborn ignite scrutiny of Amadora-Sintra maternity care

A 36-year-old pregnant woman of Guinean nationality and her baby girl have died at Fernando Fonseca Hospital (commonly known as Amadora-Sintra), prompting multiple investigations and renewed debate about patient safety in Portuguese obstetric units.

Sequence of events

• Two days before her death the woman attended a routine obstetrics appointment at the hospital, where mild hypertension was detected. After additional tests she was discharged with instructions to return for planned admission at 39 weeks’ gestation or earlier if warning signs appeared.

• In the early hours of Friday, 31 October, she experienced severe shortness of breath at home and arrived at the emergency department by INEM ambulance in cardiorespiratory arrest.

• Staff performed an emergency caesarean section. The newborn showed no neurological reflexes and was placed in neonatal intensive care with profound hypotension and bradycardia.

• The mother could not be resuscitated and was declared dead shortly after admission. Her daughter died the following morning.

Hospital clinicians attributed the baby’s death to complications arising from the mother’s cardiac arrest.

Official reaction

Health Minister Ana Paula Martins expressed condolences to the family and called the incident “a profound tragedy”. The chair of the hospital’s board resigned after what the minister described as a serious information failure concerning the patient’s antenatal follow-up, and the resignation was accepted.

Multiple inquiries under way

The hospital itself opened an internal review to reconstruct the clinical timeline.

The Inspectorate-General for Health Activities (IGAS) and the Health Regulatory Authority (ERS) launched parallel probes and agreed to share findings.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened a criminal inquiry to determine possible negligence.

The Portuguese Medical Association requested detailed records from the unit.

No preliminary conclusions have yet been released. Investigators are focusing on the adequacy of antenatal surveillance, the response time after the emergency call, and the absence of a fully integrated electronic medical-record platform linking primary care, community services and hospital wards.

Wider context: maternal safety in Portugal

Portugal’s maternal mortality ratio rose sharply to 20.1 per 100 000 live births in 2020, fell to 8.8 in 2021, and climbed again to 13.1 in 2022. Provisional figures for 2023 suggest only modest improvement. While national perinatal mortality has declined over decades, individual fatal cases continue to draw intense public attention.

Precise hospital-level data are not published in real time, but the Amadora-Sintra deaths have highlighted pressure points already identified by obstetric societies: high patient volumes, staffing shortages and fragmented IT systems.

Corrective measures announced

• The Health Ministry plans an incentive scheme intended to attract more obstetricians to the National Health Service, with Amadora-Sintra among the pilot sites.

• Since late 2024, the hospital’s obstetric emergency department has required prior referral through the SNS Pregnant Line (808 24 24 24) to reduce overcrowding and ensure triage before arrival.

• A contingency plan activated in January expanded bed capacity during peak demand weeks.

• IGAS recommendations on electronic record interoperability—expected when its inquiry concludes—will feed into a nationwide project to unify maternity data.

What happens next

Investigators are gathering testimony from clinicians, emergency-service teams and the patient’s family. Once reports are finalised, the ministry has promised to publish an action plan addressing any systemic failings.

For now, the double fatality serves as a stark reminder that improving maternal care involves more than technical skill; it also depends on timely information sharing and an integrated response when complications arise.