Latest news and stories about patient care in health in Porto, Portugal for expats and residents.
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.
An analysis of the medical residency program at S. João Hospital and a critique of the populist political response to the closure of emergency services at Barreiro Hospital.
Three elderly women, aged 80, 91, and 92, were reportedly mistreated in an illegal care home in Maia. The owner of the facility is currently facing trial for the alleged abuse, raising concerns about the safety and treatment of vulnerable patients in such establishments.
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.
Research from the Porto Faculty of Medicine concludes that starting two key heart failure therapies at the same time does not increase adverse effects and allows for earlier compliance with international recommendations, providing clinical benefits for patients.
Research from FMUP concluded that starting two treatments simultaneously in patients with heart failure is feasible and safe.
The hospital confirmed to CM that the successive postponements are due to a lack of beds.
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.
At São João Hospital in Porto, books “fly” from hand to hand via a small mobile library that brings the magic of reading to those who are hospitalised. A partnership supported by Porto Editora.
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).
During European Immunisation Week, professionals are highlighting the importance of health literacy and compliance with the National Vaccination Plan.
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.
The platform aims to “translate complex science into accessible language, so that patients, families, and healthcare professionals can better understand” the diseases, according to i3S.
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.
Castro Alves received over 178,000 euros as coordinator of extra surgeries performed outside normal working hours.
The Portuguese Institute of Oncology in Porto denied today that it is receiving disclaimers of responsibility from surgeons and, noting that it maintains a permanent multidisciplinary clinical team, guaranteed that patient safety was “never at risk”.
The response comes after the Northern Doctors' Union announced this Thursday that 23 general surgeons at that healthcare unit have submitted declarations of exemption from liability.
The institute denied that it is receiving disclaimers of liability from surgeons
Doctors in the North advocate for a reorganization of rosters to prevent general surgeons from being assigned to teams for patients of other specialties. “It is about complying with good medical practices,” says Joana Bordalo e Sá.
They claim they are being called to handle clinical situations outside their specialty and cannot assume responsibility for organizational failures.
The surgeons report that they are being called to handle clinical situations outside of their area of expertise.
Twenty-three general surgeons at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology (IPO) in Porto have submitted declarations of refusal of responsibility, warning that they are being called upon to handle clinical situations outside their specialty, according to medical unions. The Northern Doctors' Union (SMN) stated that these highly specialised cases, which the 23 surgeons on emergency duty are being asked to cover, fall under Urology and Otorhinolaryngology, which currently lack coverage during nights, weekends, and holidays. The doctors emphasise that patient safety and medical best practices are at risk, noting that their professional practice is limited to their area of competence. They further stated they cannot accept responsibility for organisational failures that compromise the quality of healthcare. In response, the SMN is demanding urgent action from the IPO Porto Board of Directors, the Executive Directorate of the National Health Service (DE-SNS), the Ministry of Health, and the General Inspectorate for Health Activities (IGAS). The declarations have also been submitted to the Portuguese Medical Association.
Doctors have warned that they are being called upon to handle clinical situations outside of their area of expertise.
The declarations were also sent to the Portuguese Medical Association
The goal of the project between IPO Porto and institutions in Galicia is to ensure equitable access to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up in the regions, involving specialists.
