Latest news and stories about medical services in health in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
The strike by technicians at Santa Maria Hospital has been suspended after the administration committed to “immediately resolving the problems,” according to the Southern Public Functions Workers' Union.
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 stated today.
Sandra Cavaca stated that social care beds in nursing homes have increased from 65 to 90 and an “emergency commission” has been created to manage the service until it is possible to stabilise and attract more doctors.
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 main reason for the strike was related to the fact that the Santa Maria Local Health Unit had not evaluated the workers in this career path.
Summoned to the Health Committee, Sandra Cavaca downplayed her lack of experience in hospital management and acknowledged that she accepted the challenge of leading the Amadora-Sintra Local Health Unit in a “scenario of great difficulty”.
Unanimous agreement among PS, PSD, CDU, and Chega. The mayor warns that 250,000 people are now more than 50 km and one hour away from the nearest obstetric emergency service.
The Regional Gynaecology and Obstetrics Emergency department began operating this Monday at Loures hospital. The unit guarantees it has complete teams and rosters.
SMZS–FNAM highlights that there are overtime hours that have remained unpaid since last year or even two years ago, adding that they want a deadline established for workers to begin being paid.
Pregnant women from the five municipalities previously covered by the emergency department will now be treated in Loures, which has become the first regional emergency unit for this specialty.
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.
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.
Rui Calafate, a commentator for CNN Portugal, argues that the proposal to turn the Beatriz Ângelo Hospital in Loures into the country's first regional emergency department is important to prevent people from having to travel long distances, but notes that a solution for the healthcare system still does not exist.
This was one of the ways found by the Ministry of Health to minimise the constraints on emergency services for this specialty.
The Gynecology/Obstetrics emergency department at Beatriz Ângelo hospital will only have one additional specialist nurse. However, the clinical director guarantees that the rosters are complete.
The five mayors of the region contest the measure and state they are concerned that the closure of the Vila Franca de Xira maternity ward may follow. This was what they told the Minister of Health this morning.
The model began operating this morning at the Beatriz Ângelo Hospital. Mayors of the municipalities affected by the closure of the service in Vila Franca de Xira met with the minister and promise to continue fighting.
Loures will now receive pregnant women from Vila Franca de Xira. Officials state that the service is finally organised.
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.
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.
