Latest news and stories about healthcare in infrastructure in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Urgent patients at Amadora-Sintra Hospital face wait times of up to 14 hours due to a severe shortage of doctors, leaving dozens waiting far beyond recommended limits and delaying ambulance crews.
Between July and October, the São José Local Health Unit in Lisbon integrated over 130 new nurses to reinforce critical services—including intensive care, emergency departments, and operating theatres—ahead of winter demand while reducing overtime reliance.
The Minister of Health has acknowledged a significant increase in waiting times at Amadora-Sintra Hospital, which have now reached nine hours, highlighting ongoing challenges in healthcare service delivery.
The Portuguese government will fund two billion euros in infrastructure projects, including major hospital and metro expansions, through the State Budget after their removal from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, with assurances that no tax hikes will follow.
The Vila Franca de Xira hospital is working to rebuild its gynaecology and obstetrics department after significant staff losses, following its integration into Portugal's first regional emergency service.
The external paediatric surgery emergency department at Dona Estefânia Hospital will remain closed until Sunday.
The Centralised Gynaecology and Obstetrics Emergency Department of Loures-Odivelas/Tejo Estuary recorded 201 births during its inaugural month of operation, meeting expected performance targets.
The Beatriz Ângelo Hospital in Loures launches the first regional gynaecology and obstetrics emergency department, operating 24/7 to address healthcare staffing shortages.
The first protocol allowing for this sharing was signed this Friday. The opening of a Basic Life Support ambulance base at the hospital was also announced.
Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon and INEM will share healthcare professionals under the first protocol of its kind, signed this Friday, October 30th, the same day the institute presented the first vehicles received to renew its fleet. During the event, the opening of a Basic Life Support ambulance base at Santa Maria Hospital was also announced. At the ceremony, the president of the Santa Maria Local Health Unit, Carlos Martins, also announced the opening of an Immediate Life Support (SIV) ambulance base in Mafra on Monday.
Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon and INEM will share healthcare professionals under the first protocol of its kind, signed today, the day the institute unveiled the first vehicles received to renew its fleet.
The Portuguese Ambulance League states that private patient transport companies have been excluded from fuel subsidies and accuse the NHS of delaying payments.
Portugal features among the top global rankings for hospital excellence with a public institution.
The Portuguese Ambulance League is indignant at the Government's “absolute silence” and is distributing flyers while preparing a slow-moving protest in Lisbon. Companies provide two million transport services per year for the National Health Service (SNS).
The doctors will help rebuild the gynecology and obstetrics department in Vila Franca de Xira, which currently has only one doctor. The impact of the specialists leaving MAC remains uncertain.
Wait times at Amadora-Sintra Hospital are well above the recommended levels. Urgent patients faced waits of up to 14 hours on Wednesday morning.
Portugal has begun providing bone marrow transplants to children with non-oncological but fatal blood diseases. Previously, patients had to travel abroad for treatment.
The Mafra Oeste Health Centre will serve the 7,221 patients currently registered at the Enxara do Bispo and Azueira health centre, which will close its doors and transfer its services to the new facility.
The Cascais Hospital has been named a finalist for the highest distinction at the 2026 International Hospital Federation Awards.
The Lusíadas Saúde group inaugurated its eighth hospital unit in the Greater Lisbon region this Monday, September 21, in the presence of Health Minister Ana Paula Martins, following a 40 million euro investment. The new hospital, Lusíadas Beloura, aims to provide healthcare to the populations of Sintra, Cascais, and surrounding municipalities. Operational since early September, the facility has the capacity for over 100,000 consultations and approximately 4,000 surgeries per year, creating 500 jobs. The 9,500-square-metre facility includes 41 consultation rooms, three dental offices, two operating theatres, 18 examination rooms, and 27 inpatient beds, operating in coordination with the group's other units in the region.
Shortly before 10:00, patients at the Amadora-Sintra Hospital emergency department were facing a wait of almost nine hours.
In the municipalities served by Amadora-Sintra, there are approximately 240,000 patients without a family doctor. The waiting time at Portimão Hospital was five hours this morning.
Since March 16th, the Loures hospital has been receiving urgent cases from the reference area of the Vila Franca de Xira Hospital.
In the municipalities served by this hospital, there are about 240,000 patients without a family doctor.
The Government has authorised the shareholder reorganisation of HLO, the entity managing the Lisbon Oriental Hospital building, which will be operated under a public-private partnership. The operation involves the transfer of minority stakes to the dominant shareholder Hygeia, which will hold 100% of the company and be controlled in equal parts by Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construção...
Santa Maria Hospital has started performing surgery on patients with a severe form of hypertension that could previously only be treated in the United Kingdom. Patients and their families are no longer required to travel abroad.
Changes to the care circuit prevent patients from remaining on stretchers and also speed up hospital admissions.
Público highlights that ANA's profits have hit a new record, driven by growth at Porto Airport, which now accounts for 17% of the concessionaire's revenue. Negócios reports that ANA will raise fees at Lisbon, Porto, and Faro airports in 2027. Jornal de Notícias reports that tarot reader Maya was caught on a wiretap soliciting a luxury escort for a friend from the manager of Elefante Branco, a brothel at the centre of a human trafficking and pimping investigation. Correio da Manhã notes that a former Sporting official is among the VIP clients of the new 'Elefante Branco' in Lisbon, according to the public prosecutor's indictment against 12 defendants; the paper also reports on a 31-year-old con artist arrested for scamming the elderly using a 'kissing scheme'. Diário de Notícias highlights a shortage of 600 anaesthesiologists in the National Health Service (SNS). Expresso reports that the war has caused a €1.3 billion increase in fuel costs in Portugal. Eco features an interview with Jorge and Gonçalo Rebelo de Almeida of the Vila Galé group, who discuss plans to reach 60 hotels before the group's 50th anniversary. Observador shares the story of a 70-year-old chronic patient who waited nearly a day to be seen by a doctor at the Amadora-Sintra emergency department, despite being triaged with a yellow wristband.
