The reorganisation plan for obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics emergencies, presented at a press conference at the Ministry of Health, by its coordinator, Alberto Caldas Afonso, recommends that pregnant women call SNS Line 24 and be screened with the green bracelet (not very urgent) will be sent to an open hospital consultation within 24 hours.

Pregnant women who are screened with a blue bracelet (non-urgent) will be sent to an open consultation in primary care on the next business day or to a normal consultation.

If the pregnant woman goes to the emergency room on her own, she will be advised to call the SNS 24 line. If she does not want to call, she will be observed by a nurse specialising in maternal and obstetric health nursing (EESMO), explained Caldas Afonso.

There are also other situations foreseen in the flowchart that provide for direct referral to the obstetrics and gynecology emergency, namely if the pregnant woman has a letter from the doctor or a specialist nurse, is referred for a pre-hospital emergency or if her life is at risk.

According to Caldas Afonso, all nurses providing services on the SNS 24 line undergo mandatory "robust training" for screening and the flowchart.

He highlighted the importance of line availability "in a quick time, which has been happening, and adequate routing".

The plan coordinator also highlighted that it is necessary to remove around 45 to 50% of situations that are not considered urgent and that they are limiting human resources from obstetric emergencies.

"These are very simple situations (...) that don't make sense and will consume more differentiated human resources that have to be focused on what the mission of that unit is, to provide the best assistance for those who are going to have their child", he commented.

The president of the National Commission for Women's and Children's Health and Adolescents, which prepared the plan, said that the objective of this reorganisation is “to guarantee that everyone will have an answer in the appropriate place”.

In addition to awareness campaigns on television, in pharmacies and health centers, Caldas Afonso called on the media to “help follow this path”, informing pregnant women and families.

“It is a path that people will have to understand, but they will feel that it is the best solution”.