Latest news and stories about patient care in government in Porto, Portugal for expats and residents.
Health Minister Ana Paula Martins has activated the lowest level of contingency plans across hospitals to manage the upcoming ten-day heatwave, while acknowledging ongoing staffing shortages.
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.
In the past three years, ten patients have tragically died while awaiting heart surgery at Santo António Hospital in Porto, raising serious concerns about the efficiency and safety of the public healthcare system.
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.
Ana Paula Martins acknowledged the error in the order concerning neuroradiology and interventional cardiology and promised dialogue with scientific societies before publication.
The President of the Republic, António José Seguro, listed health research today in Porto as an opportunity for Portugal and greeted the “practically invisible” researchers who place the patient at the centre.
New Government ordinance regarding additional production in the National Health Service (SNS) worries doctors in the North: Neuroradiology, Radiology, and Interventional Cardiology are at risk. Deadline: end of July.
Paulo Raimundo spoke to journalists at the Olival Health Centre after having been in contact with dozens of patients waiting in a long queue to get a ticket and book an appointment.
The Minister of Health stated this Tuesday in Porto that all hospitals have activated the lowest level of contingency plans and are prepared to deal with the heat, but admitted difficulties due to a lack of human resources. Speaking to journalists, Ana Paula Martins stated that “the contingency plans have all been...
Portugal has 35 Independent Living Support Centres for approximately one million people with disabilities. Protesters are demanding more vacancies and more hours of personal assistance.
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.
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'.
In Penafiel, he heard warnings from the Board of Directors regarding the occupation of 'about 60 beds per day by people who remain in the hospital because they lack family or social support'.
A statement regarding the necessity of retaining Portuguese nursing professionals within the national healthcare system.
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 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.
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.
The Socialist Party's bill creating the 'Back Home' programme is considered positive but insufficient. The executive director of the National Health Service says it does not make sense, even though these admissions account for 10% of the total.
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.
Funding is secured through earmarked revenue from the tobacco tax, as defined by a government order. The pilot projects will last for 12 months.
Socialist MPs for Porto ask the Ministry of Health for the exact amount in debt and warn: the delays compromise trust in the NHS and its contracted partners.
The Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, admitted this Monday that she is preparing revisions to legislation and the creation of special ordinances to accelerate waiting times for surgeries, particularly cardiac ones. In Maia, in the Porto district, where she visited works under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), Ana Paula Martins acknowledged that...
The Government has not paid for services contracted with the Prelada Hospital in Porto for five months. The debt exceeds twelve million euros and the institution is threatening to halt assistance.
Differences compromise equity in the care provided in different regions of the country, experts acknowledge. Gaia Hospital maintains its paediatric emergency classification.
The helipad at Hospital Pedro Hispano in Matosinhos will close due to obstacles in the aircraft approach channels that “pose a risk to operations.”
