India in touch with kin of woman who died in Portugal

New Delhi, September 1

Popular Portuguese Health Minister Marta Temido has resigned after a pregnant Indian tourist died on being turned away from a maternity ward that was full.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the incident was unfortunate and said the government was in touch with her family. The 34-year-old Indian woman reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest while being transferred between Lisbon hospitals.

The Indian woman’s death was the last straw after a string of incidents this summer blamed on a staffing crisis across Portuguese natal units. Temido said she felt “no longer able to remain in office” after broad criticism over her handling of recent staffing problems at public hospitals, according to local reports.

Temido is a 48-year-old expert in hospital administration and Portugal’s Health Minister since 2018.

The minister was reportedly one of the most popular members of the centre-left Socialist government during the pandemic. But Temido has been under severe pressure for several months, including from inside her Socialist Party, due to temporary closures of public hospital emergency services, including in maternity departments, due to a lack of staff.