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Healthcare system, hospitals, and medical services in Portugal.

The SNS24 Health Line Left Nearly Half a Million Callers Waiting Over 30 Minutes in 2025, Eight Times the Year Before

The SNS24 Health Line Left Nearly Half a Million Callers Waiting Over 30 Minutes in 2025, Eight Times the Year Before

More than 466,000 calls to Portugal's SNS24 health line waited over 30 minutes in 2025 — eight times the 2024 figure — a Health Regulatory Authority study found, warning the numbers may underestimate the delays.

The Portugal Brief 29 Jul 2026

The main entrance and adult emergency department of Hospital de Sao Joao in Porto, with a yellow INEM medical tent and staff on the forecourt under a grey sky

A University of Glasgow Study Finds Portugal's Merged Local Health Units Missed Their Targets While Spending Climbed

A University of Glasgow study by economist Joao Pedro Martins finds Portugal's 39 Local Health Units missed their business-plan targets while spending rose, with no gains in access, capacity or efficiency — echoing family-doctor teams who say the 2024 merger was rushed.

The Portugal Brief 11 Jul 2026

Aerial view of the white Hospital Terras do Infante in Lagos, a public SNS hospital, with palm trees and a car park

Doctors Press the Government to Undo Surgery Rules That Have Hospitals Halting Extra Operations

New SNS rules exclude lower-complexity procedures from the 'additional surgeries' programme that clears waiting lists, prompting some hospitals to suspend the extra activity. The Ordem dos Médicos, led by Carlos Cortes, is demanding an immediate reversal, warning of longer queues.

The Portugal Brief 10 Jul 2026

The Hospital Universitário de São João in Porto, a large public hospital building, seen from its forecourt under a grey sky

Portugal Rebuilds How the SNS Buys Private and Charity Care, Launching the SINACC Contracted-Care System on August 1

A regulation published on 2 July launches the SINACC on 1 August, replacing the 2004 SIGIC system and overhauling how the SNS contracts private and social-sector providers for scheduled surgery and consultations — with five-year conventions, central ACSS payment and costs charged to local health uni

The Portugal Brief 03 Jul 2026

Health Minister Warns Portugal's 168-Unit Emergency Network Is Hard to Keep Staffed, as New Rules Penalise Hospitals That Shut Their Urgências

Health Minister Warns Portugal's 168-Unit Emergency Network Is Hard to Keep Staffed, as New Rules Penalise Hospitals That Shut Their Urgências

Ana Paula Martins says keeping all 168 emergency units open this summer is 'very difficult' and has no full roster for three months. A new rule splits urgência funding 75/25 and penalises hospitals that close their doors.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

The Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon on a sunny day, framed by pink oleander blossoms

The Testamento Vital (Living Will) and RENTEV in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the Diretiva Antecipada de Vontade, the Health-Care Proxy, Lei 25/2012, the Five-Year Validity and How Foreign Residents Register One

A testamento vital lets any adult set out in advance the medical care they would accept or refuse if they could no longer speak for themselves — and name a proxy. A practical guide to the DAV, the free RENTEV registry, Lei 25/2012 and how foreign residents register one.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

A healthcare worker in scrubs checks a smiling patient's blood pressure, illustrating SNS care and digital health in Portugal

Portugal's Health Service Adds AI-Guided Home Physiotherapy From Porto Unicorn Sword Health

The SNS will now prescribe AI-guided home physiotherapy from Porto unicorn Sword Health at no cost to patients, paying a flat €200 per user a year for unlimited sessions in a bid to shrink waiting lists.

The Portugal Brief 30 Jun 2026

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