Latest news and stories about maternal health in Portugal for expats and residents.
The president of the College of Paediatrics explains that many pregnancies among foreign mothers reach the National Health Service (SNS) with delayed monitoring, “which implies less careful follow-up.”
The article discusses the establishment of a new gynecology and obstetrics network in Portugal, which aims to define specialized care protocols and designate hospitals equipped to handle severe cases. This initiative seeks to improve maternal health services by ensuring that complex cases receive appropriate attention at designated facilities, enhancing overall healthcare quality in the region.
The Portuguese Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, addressed concerns regarding an increase in fetal and infant mortality rates in Portugal, citing data from the Directorate-General of Health (DGS) showing a rise in fetal deaths (from 3.9 to 4.1 per 1,000 births) and infant deaths in 2024. She emphasized that Portugal maintains one of the lowest mortality rates in Europe and the OECD, considering it a significant civilizational achievement. However, she acknowledged that certain districts and socioeconomic groups, particularly vulnerable foreign mothers, require targeted attention. The Minister urged foreign mothers to seek healthcare services, highlighting the importance of pregnancy vigilance and ongoing efforts to improve maternal and child health outcomes. She also reassured that recent healthcare reorganizations, such as the centralization of obstetric emergencies in Loures, are well-managed and do not impact the quality of care.
A DGS report covering 2020-2024 reveals a clear pattern: the later the pregnancy, the higher the risk. Circulatory diseases dominate the indirect causes of death.
61.8% of deaths occurred in women at ages considered high-risk for pregnancy.
More than half of maternal deaths (during pregnancy or up to 42 days after the end of pregnancy) recorded between 2020 and 2024 occurred in women aged 35 or older, confirming the increased risk with age, according to a report.
The article discusses the opposition of local authorities in Barreiro to the proposed closure of the obstetric emergency service at the local hospital. They argue that shutting down this critical healthcare facility is a strategic mistake and unfair to the community, emphasizing the importance of maintaining accessible obstetric care for residents. The article highlights concerns about the impact on maternal health services and the need for strategic healthcare planning that prioritizes local needs.
After experiencing obstetric violence in the NHS (National Health Service), where she heard a doctor's shouts, a psychologist develops an academic study on the physical and mental health care of women.
Specialist nurses in Maternal and Obstetric Health will assume follow-up care for low‑risk pregnant women registered in Local Health Units (ULS) experiencing shortages of family doctors. The SNS Executive Board will publish the specific units where this alternative care model will be introduced. Analytically, the move aims to maintain antenatal continuity and patient safety amid GP shortfalls by leveraging nursing scope of practice, but it raises implementation questions around training standards, referral pathways for complications, regulatory oversight and monitoring of outcomes.
According to Ana Paula Martins, 'the majority of extra-hospital births do not occur in public places, but at home.'
In 2025, 1,946 births were recorded, representing a 6% increase compared with the previous year. The municipalities with the highest numbers of registered births are Viseu with 793 and Guarda with 159.
Press review: births to Portuguese women have experienced a significant decline.
Two of the maternity hospitals with the highest number of births in Portugal are private institutions, a shift that analysts link to the country’s rising caesarean rate, now at a record high. The expansion of deliveries in the private sector appears to be a key driver of growing caesarean use nationally, while within the SNS the public unit with the most births is Maternidade Alfredo da Costa. The pattern raises questions about clinical practice variation between sectors, implications for maternal and neonatal outcomes, and the need for policy and oversight to address incentives and standardise care.
Experts link the rise in the number of births to immigration, noting that 30% of last year's newborns 'were born to mothers who are not Portuguese'.
The fire brigade says it performed 15 births in ambulances last year.
936 babies were born to Portuguese mothers and 554 to foreign mothers, with the majority of the newborns being male.
Marques Mendes urged the President and the Government not to stall a bill establishing regional obstetric emergency departments, saying he hopes they decide before he assumes the Presidency on 9 March to avoid it becoming one of his first decisions in office.
President Marcelo has today ‘enacted the creation of high performance centres in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, hoping that it will allow for systemic and lasting responses and that The post President rubber-stamps proposal for ‘high performance obstetric centres’ appeared first on Portugal Resident.
