Latest news and stories about healthcare in daily life in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Ten years ago, Garcia de Orta Hospital in Almada opened the first hospital-at-home unit. Today there are already 50 Local Health Units offering this service — a way of delivering healthcare to 400 patients receiving inpatient care outside the hospital.
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.
The initiative comes in a context where Portugal continues to have above-average rates regarding HIV and hepatitis. More than 50 pharmacies in Lisbon will provide free and rapid screenings.
Starting Tuesday, Egas Moniz Hospital in Lisbon is conducting free voice screenings, an initiative running until Friday to mark World Voice Day, celebrated on April 16th under the theme 'Caring for the Voice'.
The counters are expected to be available in the municipality's four parishes: Alcabideche, São Domingos de Rana, Cascais e Estoril, and Carcavelos e Parede.
Considered the most neglected global disease by The Lancet journal, sickle cell disease primarily affects people of African descent and is on the rise in Portugal. It is not rare, has no cure, but is treatable.
Statements from the key figures at the event organised by Servier to discuss the importance of treatment adherence, which featured Expresso as a media partner.
This Thursday, March 26, marks Purple Day, World Epilepsy Awareness Day. The date invites reflection on a condition still heavily marked by misinformation and stigma.
The lack of a successor for Luís Neves as Director-General of the Judiciary Police (PJ) is the main topic in the online edition of Expresso this Tuesday, March 17. It was announced on February 21 that he would replace Maria Lúcia Amaral at the Ministry of Internal Administration, and no one has been appointed to his former position yet, which the newspaper reports is causing 'perplexity' and 'concern' within the PJ. Público reports that the PJ has opened nearly 1,400 investigations into sextortion over the last two years, with the majority of victims being men. Jornal de Notícias writes that home auctions have halved in the last seven years, a decline driven by banks due to a reduction in non-performing loans. Correio da Manhã highlights that five ministers—Labour, Economy, Parliamentary Affairs, Justice, and Defence—are required to disclose their client lists to the Transparency Entity, a consequence of the Constitutional Court rejecting the Prime Minister's appeal regarding Spinumviva. CNN Portugal reports that violent WhatsApp conversations have left the school community in Oeiras concerned, involving threats such as 'You were supposed to bring the guns' and 'I'll bring the knives,' along with photos of teachers taken from Teams shared among dozens of students at Quinta do Marquês Secondary School. Diário de Notícias focuses on public transport prices in Lisbon, which are among the highest relative to income, and notes that the Western Lisbon Local Health Unit (ULS) is requiring Portuguese nationality for recruitment competitions, a practice lawyers claim is illegal. Negócios reports that REN anticipates rising energy bills due to fuel costs, with CEO Rodrigo Costa stating that while Portugal is better prepared for energy shocks than in 2022, the market escalation will likely impact gas and electricity prices.
The new permanent unit, located on Avenida da República, will allow for the screening of approximately 100 women per day, strengthening the response capacity of the screening programme in the region.
New fixed unit, located on Avenida da República, will allow for the screening of approximately 100 women per day.
The US president states that he chose not to destroy oil infrastructure on the island, but does not rule out the option. Additionally, a demonstration by service users is scheduled in Vila Franca de Xira.
A new association has just been established in Cascais to support people with aphasia, an acquired communication disorder. Public services are scarce and private, commercial provision is expensive.
He is one of 564 foreign health professionals working at ULS São José. He chose Lisbon for its safety and quality of life. He says that here he feels he can grow and gain experience.
The heliport has become the 'strategic point' for emergency air transport in the Lisbon region and is the most used among the country's hospital units.
PRESS SUMMARY || The announced works have still not progressed and there is no set date for the start of the works.
An October 2024 report had already argued that the service should be 'relocated as a matter of urgency', but building work has not yet progressed.
The presence of “legionella”, which can cause severe respiratory infection, prompted the suspension of public services, and the reception and processing of suspects detained by the PSP at Marquês de Pombal.
The bacterium was detected at the end of December in a women’s changing room. The National Directorate says operational capacity will be maintained.
In 2025, the maternity ward at Hospital Santa Maria registered its highest annual number of births in over a decade.
All eight reinforcement ambulances from several fire brigades were dispatched by INEM's Urgent Patient Guidance Centre to the city of Lisbon and surrounding areas.
Patients classified as non-urgent must wait 11 hours.
According to the SNS portal, the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region had the highest number of patients waiting, with a total of 224.
Among the units with the longest waiting times, Hospital Professor Doutor Fernando da Fonseca - Amadora-Sintra continues to be the one with the most patients waiting.
This morning the average waiting time in the country’s hospital emergency departments is around three hours and 16 minutes for patients classified as urgent. At Amadora‑Sintra Hospital the average waiting time is 11 hours, and at Santa Maria it is about six hours.
This week at least three people died while waiting for help in Seixal, in Sesimbra (Quinta do Conde) and in Tavira.
Lisbon has the largest number of patients waiting, with waiting times reaching nine hours at Amadora-Sintra.
According to the National Health Service (SNS) portal, the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region accounts for the largest number of patients waiting, with a total of 270.
