Emergency Services in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo Face Closure: What You Need to Know

Emergency Services Shutdown

On Sunday, five emergency hospital services for gynecology/obstetrics and two pediatric services were closed, primarily affecting Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, as reported by the SNS Portal.

Affected Locations

The closed gynecology and obstetrics services include:

• Hospital Garcia de Orta in Almada (Setúbal District)
• Hospital Vila Franca de Xira (Lisbon)
• Hospital Distrital das Caldas da Rainha (Leiria)
• Hospital Santo André in Leiria
• Hospital Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Barreiro (Setúbal)

Limited Availability

The obstetrics service at Hospital de Braga will be operational from 08:00 to 24:00, but will only accept cases referred internally or by the INEM or SNS 24 hotline. Similarly, the service at Hospital de São Bernardo in Setúbal operates under the same conditions.

Pediatric Services Affected

Pediatric emergency services at Hospital Vila Franca de Xira and Hospital Beatriz Ângelo in Loures (Lisbon) are also closed this weekend. The pediatric emergency at Hospital Amadora-Sintra had limited hours, operating from 00:00 to 08:00 and again from 20:00 to 24:00, accepting only specific urgent cases.

Overall Situation

Approximately 130 emergency services remain open across the country this Sunday, alongside more than 30 services functioning under a pilot project requiring prior contact with the SNS 24 hotline.

The shortage of specialist doctors to fill these shifts is primarily responsible for these closures, a situation often exacerbated during holiday periods, such as summer and long weekends.