Latest news and stories about medical services in infrastructure in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Emergency departments are facing significant overcrowding as urgent patients endure long wait times, driven by a shortage of family doctors, extreme heat, and post-holiday surges.
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 Lourinhã Health Centre has officially reopened following extensive renovations to its infrastructure, including roofing, climate control, and electrical systems, after operating from temporary modular facilities since December.
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 regional gynaecology and obstetrics emergency department in Loures reported a 23% increase in patient volume, averaging 43 daily visits compared to the previous average of 35.
The Beatriz Ângelo Hospital in Loures launches the first regional gynaecology and obstetrics emergency department, operating 24/7 to address healthcare staffing shortages.
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.
Patients requiring urgent care are facing wait times of nearly six hours at the Amadora-Sintra hospital.
This was the hospital with the longest waiting time in the emergency department early this morning, a situation that has been recurring for several reasons, including a lack of human resources and the fact that it is a unit under great care pressure.
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.
The general emergency departments in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region continue to record the longest waiting times for the initial assessment of urgent patients. The Fernando da Fonseca Hospital (Amadora/Sintra) is among those reporting the longest waits this week, reaching nine to 11 hours on August 31 and September 1. Health Minister Ana Paula Martins attributed the delays to a shortage of doctors and nurses, warning that the situation could worsen in September. The hospital administration cited a surge in demand, noting that 63% of the 650 patients seen over those two days were classified as urgent or very urgent, requiring more complex clinical care and diagnostic testing. The ULS Amadora/Sintra serves approximately 600,000 residents, making it the largest Local Health Unit in the country, which places significant pressure on its emergency services, particularly during the holiday season.
Patients classified as urgent faced waiting times much longer than recommended this morning. At Amadora-Sintra, the wait exceeded 11 hours. The Minister of Health has already admitted that the pressure on Lisbon's emergency departments is expected to continue over the coming weeks.
The waiting time for the initial assessment of urgent patients at Amadora-Sintra Hospital was nearly 11 hours this Wednesday morning, according to the National Health Service (SNS) portal. Data available on the portal showed that at 8:45 am, in the general emergency department of the Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca Hospital (Amadora-Sintra) in the Lisbon district, patients were experiencing these delays.
According to the triage system, urgent cases (yellow wristband) should not wait longer than 60 minutes
The Minister of Health acknowledges the strain on healthcare facilities across the greater Lisbon region.
The Southern Zone Doctors' Union has warned of a lack of anaesthesiologists, which is putting emergency services at São Jorge at risk. The Local Health Unit (ULS) defends itself by citing holidays and a widespread shortage of professionals.
The Southern Zone Doctors' Union warned this Thursday of a “severe shortage” of anaesthesiologists at the São José Local Health Unit in Lisbon. The union warns that the lack of these professionals has a strong impact on the quality of care provided and the safety of emergency and urgent services.
Pressure on services continues. By early afternoon, there were 1,100 people waiting for an initial medical observation. Waiting times at Amadora-Sintra hospital exceeded 6 hours for urgent cases.
The hospital explains that it was also necessary to reorganise scheduled activities, such as appointments and ultrasounds, and suspend internships to ensure the emergency department remains fully operational without response limitations.
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Some of the patients were transferred from other hospitals in the Lisbon region. The Amadora-Sintra Local Health Unit (ULS) acknowledges the problem and calls for a “concerted response at a regional level”.
The new hospital has suffered several setbacks and the project has already gone 164 million over budget.
In most other hospital units across the country, average waiting times were less than two hours.
The hospital unit hired six nurses in August and expects to hire seven more in September. Nurses at Amadora-Sintra complain about the lack of conditions leading to long waiting times.
In most other hospital units across the country, average waiting times were less than two hours.
According to official information from the Amadora-Sintra Hospital – which does not have data available on the National Health Service (SNS) portal – urgent patients (yellow wristband) had to wait on average about nine hours early this Friday morning to be seen by a doctor for the first time. However, health professionals...
