Waiting times in Lisbon A&E departments reach average of 15 hours

Waiting times for ‘urgent patients’ (those wearing yellow wristbands) have reached an average of 15 hours in one of the busiest Lisbon hospitals (Beatriz Ângelo in Loure), while they are only a tad less at Fernando Fonseca, also known as Amadora-Sintra. Very urgent patients have also been logged as having to wait an average of one hour and 42 minutes. The situation in other parts of the country is a lot less fraught, albeit waiting times remain an issue. A source for Amadora-Sintra explained (as happens every winter) that issues stem from the rising number of cases of respiratory infections, and “worsening chronic diseases” at a point in the calendar when many staff will be taking holidays, and when ongoing industrial action affects overtime.