Health professionals at the Alto Ave Local Health Unit (Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Ave) are striking to protest imposed supplementary work, with unions accusing management of forcing extra shifts at primary‑care centres. The action is affecting appointments and the availability of some services, Correio da Manhã reports. Patients in the Alto Ave area should check centre opening hours and expect appointment changes.
ULS Alto Ave staff strike over extra work
Saturday, 21 February 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
ULS Alto Ave is the Alto Ave Local Health Unit (Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Ave), a public body that runs hospitals and some primary-care services for the Ave area in northern Portugal. It is part of the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS), and recent staff strikes have affected overtime and complementary work, so residents should check local hospital notices before visiting.
Primary care (Cuidados de Saúde Primários) is the first level of Portugal's health system — the network of health centers (centros de saúde) and family health units (Unidades de Saúde Familiar, USF) that provide general practice consultations, nursing care, vaccinations, chronic disease management, preventive screening, and referrals to specialist care.
Every resident registered with the SNS (Serviço Nacional de Saúde) is entitled to a family doctor (médico de família), though in practice over a million people lack an assigned GP due to doctor shortages. The strength of primary care directly affects hospital pressure — when health centers are understaffed or closed, patients turn to hospital emergency departments, increasing waiting times.
Portugal has been expanding USF coverage and recruiting more GPs, but access remains uneven, particularly in rural inland areas and some Lisbon suburbs.
