Portugal health minister Marta Temido has resigned from her post just hours after a pregnant Indian tourist died while being shifted between hospitals in Lisbon.
According to a Reuters report, the 34-year-old Indian tourist died due to a cardiac arrest while she was being transferred from Santa Maria hospital, which had no vacancies in the neonatology service.
An emergency cesarean was soon conducted and the baby was delivered. A detailed probe is being carried out into the woman's death by Portugal authorities.
Following the death of the Indian tourist, Temido who was hailed to have successfully carried out the vaccination rollout in the country failed heavy backlash, which ultimately resulted in her resignation.
Antonio Costa, prime minister of Portugal said that he accepted Temido's resignation and thanked Temido for her work. He also added that necessary steps will be taken to improve the healthcare infrastructure in the country.
It should be noted that similar incidents have happened in the healthcare industry in the recent past, which includes the death of two infants when they were being transferred to multiple hospitals due to the lack of healthcare facilities.
Temido became the health minister of Portugal in 2018, and during the time of the pandemic, she was one of the most popular faces of the center-left Socialist government. However, her popularity declined in recent months due to the shortage of health staff, especially those specialising in gynaecology and obstetrics.
