AN AGREEMENT between Portugal and the UK allowing British citizens access to state emergency medical care upon production of their passport will finish on September 1.
There is now a new system in place for access to emergency medical treatment, with British citizens having to use a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to be eligible for emergency medical treatment at state facilities in Portugal.
The EHIC replaced the E111 from January 2006 and entitles citizens to free emergency treatment in all EU countries and Switzerland. The EHIC is not however, a substitute for medical and travel insurance and does not cover on-gong medical treatment or non-urgent treatments.
If you are resident in the UK the EHIC is available from most post offices and from the Department of Health via their website www.dh.gov.uk ; on the Health Advice for Travellers page.
For British citizens resident in Portugal the EHIC (known as the CESD) can be obtained from local social security offices, Centro Distral de Segurança Social.
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