Latest news and stories about medical services in government in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Despite a significant increase in intensive care capacity over the last decade, half of the country's services currently report closed beds primarily due to a critical shortage of nursing staff.
Approximately 50 protesters gathered at the Ministry of Health to demand the preservation of gynaecology and obstetrics emergency services, marking the conclusion of a week-long campaign by the Movement of Public Service Users for increased SNS investment.
The Portuguese National Health Service is launching lung cancer screening pilot projects at the Gaia/Espinho and Santa Maria local health units following a new government order.
A protest in Lisbon highlights the deteriorating state of the NHS, with a specific focus on the controversial reorganisation of emergency services.
Mayors are seeking meetings with political parties to address the negative impact of obstetric emergency service closures on local populations, particularly those in remote areas.
Anselmo Crespo argues that the new regional emergency department in Loures fails to address the critical, long-term shortage of healthcare professionals causing service closures across Portugal.
The Beatriz Ângelo Hospital in Loures launches the first regional gynaecology and obstetrics emergency department, operating 24/7 to address healthcare staffing shortages.
A new gynaecology and obstetrics referral network is being implemented in Portugal, centralising patient flow to Loures while highlighting critical staffing shortages across multiple regional hospitals.
A new centralised obstetrics and gynaecology emergency unit is set to open at Loures Hospital to address staffing shortages and ensure 24/7 service coverage, despite ongoing challenges in other regions.
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.
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.
Eunice Carrapiço had been on sick leave since February 2025. The executive cites 120,000 patients without a family doctor to justify the urgent renewal of leadership.
The Government dismissed the clinical director of primary care at ULS Santa Maria, citing an urgent need to renew leadership in light of the 120,000 patients without a family doctor, and appointed physician Rita Molinar to the position.
The executive claimed it was urgent to renew leadership in light of the 120,000 patients without a family doctor.
João Gamela resigns from his position at a time when there are several complaints regarding the work environment. The 65-year-old specialist justified his departure for personal reasons.
João Gamelas resigned from his position as clinical director for the hospital area of ULS Lisboa Ocidental for personal reasons, but acknowledges that 'the problem regarding trust and the relationship with professionals' weighed on his decision.
Anyone with a fever above 38 degrees, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, anorexia, abdominal pain, and haemorrhaging, and who has been in areas with virus circulation, should be considered a suspected case.
The virus that causes Ebola, a highly contagious haemorrhagic fever, has already been detected in three provinces and in neighbouring Uganda.
The Health Forum by CNN Portugal, held at the Champalimaud Foundation under the theme 'Science and Technology at the Service of Health', brought together experts, the Government, hospitals, regulators, and the pharmaceutical industry to discuss health challenges in Portugal. The debate focused on innovation, artificial intelligence, clinical research, and access to medicines, as well as the bureaucratic slowness that continues to hinder the health system and patient access to new therapies.
The National Association of Continuing Care (ANCC) stated that approximately two thousand beds planned under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) for Lisbon and the Tagus Valley remain unexecuted, warning that this shortfall could increase social admissions in hospitals. ANCC president José Bourdain highlighted chronic underfunding, bureaucratic delays, and the closure of over 300 beds due to financial unsustainability, noting that the current situation is unsustainable as hospitals struggle with patients who no longer require clinical care but lack social support.
Banners with messages such as 'Save the INEM emergency' and 'Refounding is not destruction' mark the first of several protest actions by the professionals.
A vigil is taking place this morning in front of the Ministry of Health in Lisbon, protesting against the changes proposed by the Government for INEM.
The Lisbon and Tagus Valley area is the most underserved, followed by the Algarve and the Alentejo. The latest data from the Medical Association also reveals that there are nine thousand general and family medicine specialists and that 45% are over 65 years old.
The National Health Service (SNS) expenditure on medicines reached a record 4.417 billion euros last year, with hospital spending exceeding 2.5 billion euros for the first time. Reports indicate that hospital spending rose by 11.2% to 2.523 billion euros, while outpatient co-payments increased by 12.4% to 1.893 billion euros. Oncology remains the highest therapeutic expense in hospitals, followed by HIV and autoimmune treatments. The ULS Santa Maria in Lisbon recorded the highest expenditure among local health units. Additionally, the state began fully subsidising insulin pumps in 2025.
The mayor of Oeiras wants the Health Centre to be open 24 hours a day.
This salon feminism is a moral farce: it defends women only when it suits the progressive narrative, only when it does not disturb untouchable minorities or political alliances.
Mayors warn of inequalities in access to healthcare.
The S. Pedro Solidarity Association, the Misericórdia of Arganil, the AFID Diferenças Foundation, and the Misericórdias of Mora and Portimão are the five non-profit social solidarity institutions (IPSS) participating in this project.
In the area of general and family medicine, the Amadora-Sintra Local Health Unit (ULS) will have 90 vacancies to hire newly qualified doctors. Internal medicine has 201 places available, and paediatrics 109.
