The Hospital Beatriz Ângelo (HBA) is the Portuguese hospital with the best rate in cesarian section deliveries. According to the National Commission report on the Reduction of the Cesarian Rate, in 2013, the HBA recorded a rate of 19.8%, which is far below the national average of 33%, a figure also noted in the report. The only hospitals close to HBA were the Unidade Local de Saúde do Baixo Alentejo (with 21.5%), the Centro Hospitalar entre o Douro e o Vouga (with 23%) and the Hospital Garcia de Orta (with 23.1%). The worst results were seen in local health units in the northeast and Guarda, with an annual cesarian rate of around 38%. The cesarian rate is an international indicator of health service quality and, according to the World Health Organization, should not be higher than 15% on average. With a rate of 33% in 2013, Portugal was the second worst country in the European Union, only overtaken by Italy.
