Latest news and stories about medical services in government in Porto, Portugal for expats and residents.
An editorial by Sónia Sapage exploring the multifaceted frustrations of Portuguese nurses, including salary concerns, professional status, and systemic workplace issues discussed at the 7th Nurses' Congress.
Infarmed is currently evaluating the potential widespread hospital use of a new cancer drug after previously denying a special authorisation request for a 35-year-old patient.
The recent dispatch signed by Health and Health Management Secretaries has sparked controversy as it paves the way for establishing a Cardiac Surgery Unit at the Local Health Unit (ULS) of Santo António in Porto. This decision has raised questions regarding healthcare policy and resource allocation in the region.
The Secretary of State for Health has signed an order that supports the establishment of a Surgery Unit at Hospital de Santo António, where she has previously worked and maintains connections. This decision highlights the ongoing relationship between healthcare policy and the officials who influence it.
The Porto region is set to invest €820,000 in the refurbishment of two health centres. The Vale Formoso Health Unit will receive €526,000 for a four-month renovation, while the Foz Health Centre will be upgraded with an investment of €297,000, expected to take 100 days to complete.
Patients launched a petition demanding a dedicated clinic, denouncing years of waiting and treatments in non-specialised spaces. The administration took office a month and a half ago.
At the end of his visit to the Tâmega e Sousa Hospital Centre, the PS leader said that if the issue “were a priority, it would be being resolved” and focused on the lack of social response for the elderly.
The Socialist Party (PS) secretary-general criticised the Government today for failing to 'guarantee a social safety net' in healthcare to prevent the elderly from spending years in hospitals, urging them to 'take responsibility'.
The oncologist has been in the position since 2022. The new term was approved by the Council of Ministers and published this Monday in the Diário da República.
Statements from the key figures at the 7th Nurses' Congress, which took place in Gondomar and had Expresso as a media partner
At the closing of the 7th Nurses' Congress this Saturday in Gondomar, which had Expresso as a media partner, Ana Povo confirmed that the Ministry of Health will materialise career progression, prescription rights, and the role of advanced practice nurse. A promise made on Friday, on the same stage, by Luís Montenegro.
The Nurses' Union lamented the Prime Minister's “speech of intentions” at the professional association's congress, claiming he did not commit to resolving problems that have been “dragging on” for years.
A statement regarding the necessity of retaining Portuguese nursing professionals within the national healthcare system.
The Prime Minister admits that a collective labour agreement for nurses should be reached in the coming weeks. Luís Montenegro made the appeal to the Minister of Health at the seventh Nurses' Congress, which gathered eight thousand professionals this morning in Gondomar.
The Ministry of Health is working to, “in a final effort over the coming weeks”, sign a collective labour agreement for nurses that provides visibility and predictability for these professionals, the Prime Minister announced this Friday. In Gondomar, in the Porto district, at a congress gathering thousands of nurses and nursing students this Friday, ...
The government wants the Santo António Local Health Unit (ULS) to become a reference centre. The hospital's only cardiac surgeon is unable to perform operations.
The government wants the Santo António Local Health Unit (ULS) to become a reference centre. The hospital's only cardiac surgeon is unable to perform operations.
The order that opened the door to the creation of the surgical unit at Santo António Hospital was motivated by an email from the Health Directorate and not by a technical opinion.
The Secretary of State for Health, Ana Povo, stated today that the Santo António Local Health Unit (ULSSA) in Porto meets the conditions to become an affiliated reference centre for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
Regarding the possibility of creating a cardiac surgery centre in the Northern region, the Secretary of State for Health states that the Santo António Health Unit meets the necessary conditions.
Nearly 330 patients died between 2021 and 2025 while on waiting lists for cardiac surgery, according to Secretary of State for Health Ana Povo. The government plans to issue an order to review referral networks to address the issue, particularly in the North, where there is debate over the creation of new reference centres to reduce waiting times and improve access to procedures like TAVI valve implants.
The government official believes that the Santo António Local Health Unit (ULSSA) in Porto meets the necessary conditions.
In the largest NHS hospitals, only Santo António pays the coordinator of the additional surgery team. With a “clear conscience”, Eurico Castro Alves says he would have earned much more as a surgeon.
The President of Cape Verde announced today in Porto that the paradigm of relations between Portugal and Cape Verde in the health sector will change completely.
The President of Cape Verde expresses a desire to expand and strengthen collaboration in the healthcare sector with Portugal, as reported by Correio da Manhã Canada.
Bárbara Gomes is one of the leading experts in this field in Portugal. She is currently leading a study to establish the first international classification of places of death.
Surgeons at the IPO in Porto warn that they are being called for “highly specialised clinical situations” during nights, weekends, and public holidays. The union demands an urgent response from the ministry.
The Council of Ministers approved physician Nélson Pereira to lead the Matosinhos Local Health Unit (ULS). The terms for the boards of Santo António and São João hospitals ended in 2025, and the term for the Porto IPO ended in 2024.
The new administration of the ULS was approved by the Council of Ministers on Thursday.
MP Alfredo Maia questions the Minister of Health regarding NHS spending at the centre, which has been charging €45 per patient and treating non-urgent cases since August 2024.
