Latest news and stories about general strike in health in Portugal for expats and residents.
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Auxiliary health technicians at Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon have suspended the strike scheduled for Thursday after the board of directors committed to 'immediately resolving the problems', the union indicated this Wednesday. In a statement, the Union of Workers in Public Functions of the South and Autonomous Regions noted that...
The work stoppage is scheduled for Friday. Ana Paula Martins acknowledges progress on some of the SEP's demands, but warns that the solutions “require time”.
Health Minister Ana Paula Martins admitted the government cannot meet all demands from the Nurses' Union (Sindicato dos Enfermeiros Portugueses) ahead of a planned general strike this Friday. The minister stated that while work is ongoing on some issues, the government must focus on resolving systemic problems within the National Health Service. Patients with scheduled appointments on Friday should contact their health units to check for potential cancellations or delays.
Ana Paula Martins is Portugal's Health Minister (Ministra da Saúde), and in this story she expressed concern about 'untruths' circulating regarding the National Health Service. She also said that waiting times for initial assessments during the current flu season have fallen this year, a point meant to reassure patients relying on public care.
The Portuguese Nurses' Union (Sindicato dos Enfermeiros Portugueses) is the main trade union representing nurses in Portugal. It announced a strike for 20 March 2026, which can disrupt hospital routines and appointments in the public health service, so those relying on public care should check services and plan accordingly.
Medical staff, nurses, and administrative workers at the Lisboa Ocidental Local Health Unit (ULSLO) are threatening industrial action following the disappearance of thousands of overtime hours from the computer system. Unions representing the staff have scheduled a meeting with the administration for the 19th to address long-standing issues, including unpaid overtime, career progression delays, and failures in performance evaluation systems. If negotiations fail, workers have approved a motion to proceed with a strike. Meanwhile, the Health Inspectorate is investigating the unit's Human Resources department regarding the legality of recent hiring practices.
Rui Lázaro, president of STEPH, has toughened his stance and is demanding clarification from the ministry regarding who is in charge of INEM. In statements to CNN Portugal, the union leader justifies the move towards a strike due to the institute's management failing to honour agreements and accuses the INEM president of 'stripping powers' from technicians over the last five months.
Professionals at Braga Hospital are on strike. The operating theatre is the most affected area.
The Civil Protection Association said INEM's problems “didn't just stem from the past, nor did they begin only with the strike”, accusing political parties of also bearing responsibility for the system's collapse.
At 00:00 the Leiria region remains without essential services. A local mayor described the situation as 'the darkest day'.
At the parliamentary inquiry into INEM to establish responsibility for the strike, the institute's director of nursing said 24 nurses are currently undergoing training to bolster the teams.
The coordinator of the INEM Workers' Committee admitted today that there were failures in communicating information about minimum services during the strike at the end of 2024, arguing that the late communication may have had an operational impact.
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.
The coordinator talks of 'weak leadership' and says there is a 'chronic problem' concerning the transfer of patients to hospitals, and not only on the south bank.
Workers at INEM admit there were communication failures regarding the minimum service arrangements during the strike.
Rui Gonçalves confirmed that the then president of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), Sérgio Janeiro, initially communicated that “it was not necessary to comply with minimum service levels” during the stoppage of overtime hours.
Because it is a strike over overtime work, no minimum service levels were proposed, but the Directorate of Public Employment Administration also did not pursue that negotiation.
The National Union of Workers in Services and Public Purpose Entities has announced a nationwide strike by all healthcare workers for the entire year of 2026.
“The units are ensuring those minimum levels of operation,” says the chief executive of the National Health Service (SNS).
There's never a good time to go to hospital, but this one is particularly bad because many A&E departments are closed. Today the total or partial closure of ten A&E departments across the country is expected. Patients are the ones who suffer.
Until Sunday several gynaecology/obstetrics services are closed. The minister expects to free up social cases in the coming days.
The general strike has led to the cancellation of surgeries in all public hospitals. Six hospitals were already postponing procedures due to high emergency room attendance, but the situation worsened with the strike on Thursday and the public sector strike on Friday.
The day after the general strike, new disruptions in the public sector are primarily affecting the Health and Education sectors.
Several independent public service unions have called for a second day of protest. Additionally, newspaper directors warn that access to print media may be at risk in various areas of the country.
At Santa Maria in Lisbon, the general strike saw a participation rate of 90%. Emergency services were not disrupted. However, some patients with scheduled consultations and surgeries were not as fortunate.
Those who had “first consultations”, school tests, or other commitments — and, of course, those who really had to go to work — went. Despite the transport constraints. Street commerce opened.
