SNS Executive Board strongly encourages citizens to contact the SNS 24 hotline before heading to an emergency department
Several emergency services in Portugal, spanning Gynaecology/Obstetrics, Paediatrics, and General Care, are temporarily closed today and will remain so on Wednesday, according to the National Health Service (SNS) emergency schedules.
The affected paediatric emergency departments include Hospital Beatriz Ângelo in Loures, Torres Vedras District Hospital, and Peniche Hospital.
Meanwhile, Gynaecology and Obstetrics emergencies are closed at Abrantes Hospital and Caldas da Rainha District Hospital.
Additionally, Peniche Hospital’s general emergency department is also closed.
On New Year’s Day, six emergency services will remain closed. However, Peniche Hospital’s services will reopen, while the general and paediatric emergencies at São João da Madeira Hospital will close.
While 188 emergency services remain operational, several facilities will provide limited access. For example, the Gynaecology and Obstetrics departments at Garcia de Orta Hospital in Almada and São Bernardo Hospital in Setúbal will only attend to internal cases and referrals from the National Institute for Medical Emergencies (INEM).
Hospitals across Lisbon, Cascais, Amadora-Sintra, Braga, Leiria, and Vila Franca de Xira will operate similarly, handling only internal cases or those referred via INEM or the SNS 24 hotline.
Paediatric emergencies at Amadora-Sintra Hospital are restricted between midnight and 8am and again from 8pm to midnight. On Wednesday, Beja Hospital’s general emergency will also be referral-only from 8pm to midnight.
The SNS Executive Board strongly encourages citizens to contact the SNS 24 hotline before heading to an emergency department. Since December 16, pregnant women must call the dedicated “SNS Grávida” line before visiting Obstetrics and Gynecology services in participating hospitals. This initiative, currently in a pilot phase, involves 11 Local Health Units, primarily in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, alongside three additional hospitals, including Gaia Hospital.
Starting in January, Local Health Units in the Setúbal Peninsula, including Almada-Seixal, Arco Ribeirinho, and Setúbal, will join the project.
