Civil Protection director José Manuel Moura has ruled out any illegality in the ad-hoc reinforcement of eight ambulances organised by the Portuguese Firefighters' League over the weekend. After meetings with INEM and the Firefighters' League, Moura attributed the dispute to a communication failure by the League and said the situation created a misunderstanding that must not recur. He insisted that ANEPC (Civil Protection) should be formally involved in future emergency operations to ensure coordination and public safety.

A fire at the Torre Sénior care home in Santo Tirso forced the evacuation of about 40 residents overnight; firefighters extinguished the blaze and authorities reported no injuries. Residents were triaged by teams from the Portuguese National Institute of Medical Emergency (Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica or INEM) and temporarily housed in a municipal pavilion while the cause is investigated. Those with relatives in care homes should contact the facility for status updates and next steps; local councils handle temporary placements for evacuated residents.

The National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil or ANEPC) has opened an inquiry into an ambulance 'task force' set up by the Portuguese Firefighters’ League (Liga dos Bombeiros Portugueses or LBP), calling the operation illegal and 'marginally created'. ANEPC told Lusa it will investigate whether the reinforcement complied with rules for pre-hospital rescue operations. Expats relying on emergency services should note the inquiry could affect availability of volunteer-run ambulance support in some areas while regulators review the operation.

Update: Multiple outlets report the LBP rejects ANEPC's claim, saying the temporary task force was set up to bolster pre-hospital cover and lamenting a lack of dialogue; the League named four ambulances from Ajuda, Cabo Ruivo, Camarate and Cascais brigades as part of the reinforcement. Coverage shows a clear disagreement between the regulator (ANEPC) and the LBP about legality and procedure — the probe may lead to operational changes while authorities review compliance with pre-hospital rescue rules. Expats should be aware volunteer-led ambulance support may be disrupted in some areas during the inquiry.

CNN Portugal spent time inside CODU, INEM’s medical call centre in Lisbon and found a centre under sustained pressure where high call volumes demand rapid, accurate triage and careful deployment of ambulances and other rescue resources. The report examines how operators prioritise calls, the protocols guiding decision-making, and the operational strain of matching limited resources to urgent needs.

The Portuguese Firefighters' League (LBP) has established a weekend task force of four additional ambulances to bolster pre-hospital emergency response and ease pressure on hospitals. The emergency vehicles — drawn from the Ajuda, Cabo Ruivo, Camarate and Cascais brigades — will be based at the LBP headquarters, while a commander will be on permanent duty at CAASO (Centre for Operational Monitoring and Support) to coordinate operations. The deployment is a targeted, short-term capacity boost intended to improve response times during busy periods and provide centralised operational oversight.

Beja Hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology emergency service will be closed overnight due to a shortage of doctors, operating from 20:00 on Saturday until 08:00 on Sunday and again from 20:00 on Sunday until 08:00 on Monday. The closures are attributed to an inability to complete the rota, raising concerns about patient access to urgent maternity and gynaecological care and potential pressure on neighbouring services. An accompanying opinion notes systemic failings in emergency logistics — exemplified by ambulances held up by missing stretchers — as symptomatic of wider incompetence in healthcare operations.

PSD MP Miguel Guimarães welcomed the announcement to purchase 245 ambulances, saying it will allow INEM to increase its response capacity across multiple locations, notably Greater Lisbon and Setúbal. Analytically, the investment should improve coverage and potentially reduce response times in high-demand areas, but its effectiveness will depend on deployment strategy, crew availability and integration with existing emergency services. Close monitoring of allocation and operational metrics will be required to ensure the intended gains in emergency healthcare delivery are realised.

The prime minister announced what was described as “the largest investment in ambulances in over a decade” — 275 new vehicles — less than 36 hours after three citizens were reported to have died while waiting for care. Critics have called the timing “strange” and labelled the move demagoguery, arguing it risks masking systemic negligence in emergency services rather than addressing deeper policy and resourcing failures in healthcare and public safety. The episode has intensified calls for transparent planning, independent oversight and comprehensive reforms to emergency medical services rather than one-off equipment purchases.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has promulgated the government’s health reform while formally requesting improvements to three related decree-laws. His interventions focus on the decree-law that centralises emergency services regionally and on the new regime for hiring locum doctors, where he identified unclear requirements and potential incompatibilities. The request for clarification signals legal and policy concerns that could prompt amendments, highlighting tensions between centralised emergency planning and the need for a flexible medical workforce.

The coordinator of INEM’s Workers’ Committee acknowledged failings in how minimum-service requirements were communicated during the late‑2024 strike, saying the institution’s president had conveyed that minimum services were not required during overtime hours. The admission raises operational and public‑safety concerns, highlights potential legal and labour‑relations implications, and underscores the need for clearer protocols, stronger internal communication and contingency planning to protect emergency healthcare delivery during industrial action.

Update: New reporting puts more than 420 patients waiting for an initial assessment in hospital emergency departments today, slightly lower than earlier figures of 440–470 published in our previous update; numbers vary by hospital and by outlet. The persistent delays are being reported alongside a broader flu surge and strained emergency services, keeping pressure on admissions and ambulance handovers. For expats, expect longer waits for non-urgent A&E care and consider contacting your family doctor or using scheduled appointments where possible.

Update: New outlet figures give local detail — a national average urgent-patient wait of about 3 hours 16 minutes, with much longer waits at some hospitals (Amadora‑Sintra reported ~11 hours; Santa Maria ~6 hours). Sources vary on the exact totals and some hospitals report better performance; overall coverage emphasises regional differences and continued pressure on admissions and ambulance handovers. Practical takeaway for expats: plan non-urgent care in advance and check local hospital performance if choosing a referral or appointment.

Update: New analysis highlights structural problems beyond seasonal pressure: successive hospital mergers have created large Local Health Units (Unidades Locais de Saúde), some with budgets reported above €1bn, but observers say management capacity has not kept pace and individual hospitals have lost identity. The reporting links those governance issues to dysfunctions such as trolleying and delayed ambulance handovers in the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS). For expats this reinforces earlier practical advice — expect variability between hospitals, consider non-emergency options and register with a family doctor where possible.

Update: RTP reports hospitals are now struggling to admit a rising number of patients with respiratory problems, adding pressure to A&E triage and inpatient beds at a time of high seasonal demand. This increase is being cited by hospital sources as a driver of current delays.

Update: Admiral Carlos Gouveia e Melo has publicly called for changes to leadership in the health sector, accusing the State of failing to meet deadlines and urging new appointments to improve management and accountability. His criticism adds a political voice to coverage that links structural governance issues with current operational stresses in emergency departments.

Update: Reporting in Público and CNN Portugal says the dermatology service at Hospital Egas Moniz, part of the Lisbon Western Local Health Unit (Unidade Local de Saúde de Lisboa Ocidental), was judged in October 2024 to lack conditions of “safety, health and hygiene” and still has no set date for relocation; authorities had recommended relocation but no timetable has been published. The situation may disrupt specialist outpatient dermatology care in Lisbon while a resolution is sought.

Almost a year after the minister warned of unacceptable A&E waiting times, there has been no meaningful improvement. Persistent delays point to systemic strain on emergency services, heighten risks to patient safety and wellbeing, and indicate a need for urgent policy and resource interventions rather than repeated warnings.

El Nacional reports that Donald Trump pressed Venezuela’s interim government for total control of the country’s oil resources — a demand with clear geopolitical and economic consequences that raises questions about sovereignty, access to revenues and the role of external actors in a fragile political transition. Separately, Jornal Público’s analysis shows that between 2019 and 2024 some 75 per cent of drivers who died with alcohol in their system had blood-alcohol levels meeting the threshold for a criminal offence, spotlighting enforcement gaps, road-safety policy failures and the need for improved prevention and data collection. Taken together, the items illustrate linked governance challenges: contested control over strategic resources on one hand, and systemic public‑safety and criminal‑justice issues on the other.

Road fatalities and related casualties cost an estimated €1.5 billion in 2025, while overall road casualty levels have effectively returned to 2016 figures. The year saw more collisions and a rise in injuries, maintaining pressure on emergency services and the healthcare system and undermining public safety. Economically, the persistent casualty rate represents a significant indirect and direct cost that acts as a negative indicator for public finances and productivity. The pattern suggests a need for renewed, targeted prevention measures, enhanced enforcement and investment in safer infrastructure to reverse the trend and reduce both human and fiscal costs.

Marques Mendes urged the President and the Government not to stall a bill establishing regional obstetric emergency departments, saying he hopes they decide before he assumes the Presidency on 9 March to avoid it becoming one of his first decisions in office.

The Clinical Directorate of the Algarve Local Health Unit told CM that there had been a peak in attendances.

On Saturday the obstetrics and gynaecology emergency departments at the hospitals in Abrantes, Setúbal and Portimão, and the obstetrics emergency department in Vila Franca de Xira, will be closed. The Setúbal emergency department reopens on Sunday.

The three decree-laws centre on new rules for hiring locum doctors, regional emergency services, and the management system to tackle waiting lists.

Jornal de Notícias reports that at least 108 people were intentionally murdered in 2025, marking the highest number of homicides since 2018. Separately, the President of the Republic returned three decree-laws to the Government that sought to implement reforms in the health sector, a move with legal and political implications for emergency services, public safety and ongoing healthcare policy changes. These developments highlight rising concerns about violent crime alongside contested attempts to reshape healthcare governance.

Four gynaecology and obstetrics emergency departments have been closed. In Amadora‑Sintra only the gynaecology emergency department is shut; meanwhile the general emergency at Hospital Fernando Fonseca (Amadora‑Sintra) reported a three‑hour wait for patients classed as very urgent as of 20:00, according to the SNS Portal. Santa Maria recorded a two‑and‑a‑half‑hour wait for very urgent cases, and Hospital de Loures topped the waiting‑time list with around three‑hour waits for urgent patients.