Correio da Manhã reports about 1.6 million patients in Portugal currently do not have a family doctor (médico de família), a gap that reduces access to routine care and referrals within the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde). The shortfall could mean longer waits for appointments and more pressure on hospital emergency departments for non-urgent issues. Those needing regular care should check local health centre lists and registration procedures for assigning a médico de família.
1.6 million residents lack family doctors
Tuesday, 3 March 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
Family medicine (Medicina Geral e Familiar) is the medical specialty that provides continuous primary care through family doctors who manage common illnesses, chronic diseases and preventive care. In Portugal these specialists are the backbone of the SNS (Serviço Nacional de Saúde); the story notes 57 doctors finished the specialty and 38 stayed in the NHS, giving family doctors to about 77,500 patients.
In Portugal, people register for a family doctor (médico de família) through the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS) at their local health centre (Centro de Saúde) or a family health unit (Unidade de Saúde Familiar). If no doctor is available they join a waiting list and can use SNS urgent care or go to private clinics; recent reports put about 1.6 million people without a family doctor, so many who need faster access choose private care.
