Patient care news in Portugal

Patient advocacy groups are raising concerns that the temporary suspension of voluntary pregnancy termination services at Garcia de Orta Hospital in Almada may become permanent. While services are currently being redirected to a private clinic, local committees are calling for urgent government intervention to restore full capacity within the SNS.

A 90-year-old woman was reportedly denied a wheelchair at the Cascais Hospital emergency department, forcing a private transport driver to carry her into the facility. The incident has sparked public concern regarding patient care standards at the hospital.

The Azores region reported a record 13,945 patients on the surgical waiting list at the end of July. This figure represents an 8.3% increase compared to the same period last year, according to data from the regional health authority.

Minister of Health Ana Paula Martins has identified a critical shortage of anaesthesiologists, particularly in the Lisbon region. The government acknowledges that this staffing gap persists beyond the summer months, raising concerns about the stability of medical services.

The Pre-Hospital Emergency Workers Union (Sindicato dos Trabalhadores de Emergência Pré-Hospitalar or STEPH) has reached an agreement with the National Institute for Medical Emergency (Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica or INEM) regarding minimum services for upcoming strikes. Urgent Patient Guidance Centres (Centros de Orientação de Doentes Urgentes or CODU) will operate at 90% capacity during the planned stoppages on September 14 and 28.

Local Health Units (Unidades Locais de Saúde or ULS) are establishing specialized centres to handle medical and psychological assessments. This initiative aims to remove the burden of issuing routine certificates from general clinical services, allowing doctors to focus on primary patient care. The government has not yet disclosed the costs associated with these new units.

Minister of Health Ana Paula Martins is working to resolve internal tensions at the National Institute of Medical Emergency (Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica or INEM). Despite these efforts, unions are proceeding with a formal complaint against the institute's president and are considering legal action against the minister. Two strikes are currently scheduled for September.

The Northern Doctors Union (Sindicato dos Médicos do Norte or SMN) has declared the emergency departments at the Santa Maria da Feira and São João da Madeira hospitals to be in a critical state. The union attributes the situation to a lack of human resources and poor planning within the Entre Douro e Vouga Local Health Unit (Unidade Local de Saúde or ULS). Officials warn that these conditions are currently placing patients at risk.

The Portuguese Institute of Blood and Transplantation (Instituto Português do Sangue e da Transplantação or IPST) reports that national blood reserves remain stable and sufficient to supply hospitals. While some donor federations have warned of critical levels during the summer peak, the IPST maintains that current stocks are comparable to previous years. Separately, São João Hospital in Porto has pioneered performing blood transfusions directly at trauma scenes using specialized emergency vehicles.

The Ministry of Health, led by Ana Paula Martins, plans to identify new regional emergency services by the end of November. The initiative aims to create a more integrated and sustainable national network, with a specific focus on evaluating orthopaedic response capacity in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region.

The emergency department at the Amadora-Sintra Hospital reported 19 patients awaiting orthopaedic surgery this Sunday. The facility has requested a regional solution to manage the influx, which includes patients transferred from other major hospitals in the Lisbon area.

The Matosinhos Local Health Unit (Unidade Local de Saúde or ULS) has invested 2.2 million euros in new medical equipment, including a biplane angiograph and surgical beds. The upgrade was funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência or PRR), a European-backed initiative aimed at modernizing national healthcare infrastructure.

Paulo Raimundo, the secretary-general of the Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português or PCP), accused the government of dismantling the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS). During a visit to the Algarve, he argued that private interests are increasingly undermining public healthcare access in the region.

Around 100 nurses at Amadora-Sintra Hospital have submitted a declaration of disclaimer of responsibility to the administration, citing severe overcrowding and staff shortages in the emergency department. Patients have faced wait times exceeding nine hours for urgent care, while the hospital administration stated that a reinforcement of 13 nurses is currently underway.

The president of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), Luís Mendes Cabral, has acknowledged that over 26,000 critical patients did not receive adequate emergency support in 2025. Cabral attributed these failures to years of underinvestment and stagnation, promising urgent improvements by the end of the year, including the acquisition of 1,400 monitors for ambulances. While the Order of Nurses (Ordem dos Enfermeiros or OE) has expressed support for the new operational model, some technician unions continue to voice concerns regarding clinical impact.

The Garcia de Orta Hospital has temporarily suspended voluntary pregnancy termination services, prompting the government to mandate that hospitals must guarantee access to these procedures or cover costs at other facilities. An inspection by the General Inspectorate of Health Activities (IGAS) identified structural and operational planning failures within the Almada-Seixal Local Health Unit. The Left Bloc (BE) has requested an urgent hearing with Health Minister Ana Paula Martins to address the service disruption.

Update: PS demands answers on suspended abortion services

The Socialist Party (PS) has formally questioned the government regarding the specific reasons for the service suspension at the Almada hospital. The party is demanding an urgent reinforcement of resources to ensure that women seeking these services receive timely care.

The Order of Doctors (Ordem dos Médicos) has welcomed the government's decision to postpone the new National System for Access to Consultation and Surgery, citing concerns over missing features and a lack of instructional guidance. Meanwhile, the Portuguese Diabetes Society (Sociedade Portuguesa de Diabetologia or SPD) has warned that current updates to the National User Registry (Registo Nacional de Utente or RNU) could disrupt access to subsidized medication for patients.

User committees in Almada and Seixal reported that voluntary pregnancy terminations were discontinued this week at Garcia de Orta Hospital. The local health unit, Unidade Local de Saúde Almada-Seixal, confirmed the service interruption but described it as a temporary measure due to staffing shortages, noting that a protocol has been established with another facility to ensure patient care.

The Ministry of Health has denied claims that it is backtracking on new rules for additional surgeries within the SNS. While the ministry acknowledged the need to review the definition of minor surgery and ensure a smooth transition to the new SINACC digital system, it maintains that no clinical procedures will be excluded from waiting lists.

The Algarve Local Health Unit (Unidade Local de Saúde do Algarve or ULS Algarve) has denied reports of extreme emergency waiting times at Faro and Portimão hospitals. While the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS) portal indicated waits of up to 16 hours, ULS Algarve officials attributed these figures to an IT system error rather than actual clinical delays.

Update: Algarve health authority confirms IT error caused wait times

ULS Algarve president Tiago Botelho confirmed to the Lusa news agency that the data displayed on the SNS portal was inaccurate due to a technical glitch in the computer system. The authority maintains that the reported extreme waiting times do not reflect the actual clinical situation at the hospitals.

The Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda or BE), the Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português or PCP), and Livre have secured enough signatures to force a parliamentary review of the new Single Social Benefit (Prestação Social Única or PSU). These parties argue the new decree-law may negatively impact social protection for vulnerable families and the elderly.

Update: Asset threshold for social benefit access clarified

New government guidance specifies that only households with financial assets exceeding 32,227.80 euros—equivalent to 60 times the Social Support Index (Indexante dos Apoios Sociais or IAS)—will be blocked from accessing the new PSU.

Minister of Health Ana Paula Martins stated that hospital accident and emergency department wait times are significantly better than in 2023 and 2024. However, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Technicians Union (Sindicato dos Técnicos de Emergência Pré-Hospitalar) criticized the current management of the National Institute for Medical Emergency (Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica or INEM), specifically the removal of 100 ambulances from the operational fleet.

Emergency medical technicians have announced a two-day strike for September 14 and 28 to protest the government's new organizational law for the National Institute of Medical Emergency (Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica or INEM). The union, STEPH, claims the reform will remove over 100 ambulances from the emergency system by transferring them to Local Health Units (Unidades Locais de Saúde or ULS), though the INEM president maintains that response capacity will remain unaffected.

The government has reallocated 630 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência or PRR) to the health sector. These funds are designated for modernizing the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS), renovating infrastructure, and purchasing four emergency medical helicopters.

The São Miguel Hospital in Oliveira de Azeméis has partially closed several services due to a cockroach infestation detected on Monday. Local authorities expect operations to resume by Thursday, with affected patients currently being transferred to hospitals in Feira and Ovar.

A new law establishing a special career path for dentists within the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS) was published this Tuesday. The measure, which takes effect with the next State Budget, aims to increase the number of dentists working in the public sector to address current shortages.

The Central Administration of the Health System (Administração Central do Sistema de Saúde or ACSS) has clarified that in-person validation for the National User Registry (Registo Nacional de Utente or RNU) is only required when information is incomplete. This follows concerns from the Medical Association regarding potential barriers to accessing healthcare services.

President António José Seguro has enacted a government decree clarifying the exceptional incentive scheme for doctors working supplementary hours in the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS). This remuneration is cumulative with standard salary payments, aiming to resolve previous interpretation doubts regarding the scheme introduced in June.

More than 11,800 young people between the ages of 12 and 35 have requested government-funded psychologist and nutritionist vouchers in the first month since the program's expansion. The initiative, managed by the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude or IPDJ), aims to provide free mental health and nutritional support to a broader age demographic. Most applicants have already received their vouchers for the consultations.

The Coimbra Local Health Unit (Unidade Local de Saúde or ULS) has successfully performed the first robot-assisted endoscopic ear surgery in Portugal. The procedure demonstrates high safety and precision, marking a significant advancement in surgical innovation for the national health system. The ULS of Coimbra is also noted for its capacity to work with all available models of cochlear implant electrodes.

Health Minister Ana Paula Martins announced that the government is considering charging fees to patients who refuse placement in continuing care facilities. The proposal aims to address hospital discharge delays and improve patient flow within the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS).

The Ministry of Health has issued a revised order regulating urgent care activity, including procedures for cardiology and radiology, after admitting the previous version was an error. The new directive clarifies payment procedures for medical staff performing additional urgent production, addressing concerns previously raised by the Medical Association (Ordem dos Médicos).

The Portuguese League Against Cancer (Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro or LPCC) is offering free skin cancer screenings on beaches across the Algarve, Alentejo, and the Greater Lisbon area until August 29. Dermatologists are conducting observations between 9:00 and 18:00 to analyze skin changes and provide sun safety advice.

The first privately managed Family Health Unit (Unidade de Saúde Familiar or USF) has opened in Torres Vedras, marking the start of a government plan to launch 20 such units. This initiative aims to address the shortage of family doctors, with a second unit expected to open in the Algarve to serve residents in Silves.

The government has postponed the launch of a new surgery management system for the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS) following criticism from doctors and hospital administrators. The platform, intended to increase patient choice, faced concerns regarding technical flaws and a potential 30% reduction in surgeries at some hospitals. The system will now only be implemented once all units share a unified IT infrastructure.

New data from the National Statistics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estatística or INE) shows that Portugal had 46,131 doctors in active practice in 2024, a figure significantly lower than the 65,000 previously registered with the Medical Association (Ordem dos Médicos). Meanwhile, the government prepares to launch the new waiting list management system for consultations and surgeries, known as SINACC, starting tomorrow.

The health referral line SNS24 experienced a sharp increase in call volume and wait times throughout 2025. According to the Health Regulatory Authority (Entidade Reguladora para a Saúde), nearly 500,000 callers waited over 30 minutes to be answered, representing a tenfold increase in wait times compared to the previous year.

The government and unions have reached an agreement to increase the remuneration of senior diagnostic and therapeutic technicians. The pay rise will be implemented in two phases throughout 2026 and 2027, following a performance evaluation process.