Elderly Patient Dies After 12-Hour Emergency Room Wait in Portimão

An 87-year-old man died in the emergency department (serviço de urgência) waiting room at Portimão Hospital after waiting 12 hours for medical attention. The patient arrived at the hospital on Tuesday afternoon suffering from severe pain and was found unconscious when staff called his name early Wednesday morning. Resuscitation efforts by nurses failed to revive him, prompting calls for scrutiny over acute staffing pressures and prolonged wait times in the Algarve.