Portuguese hospitals hang by a thread with closed A&E departments, lack of staff and long queues

euronews (in English)

A specialist in health economics believes that the SNS' problem lies with its management capacity and that there may be a solution to the chaos. But the government has yet to act and patients continue to wait long hours to receive medical attention.

Transcript

00:00Closed emergency units, lack of staff, waiting times far above the acceptable and a faulty

00:06new screening system.

00:08The Portuguese National Health Service is on the verge of collapse.

00:12And for Pedro B. Tavarros, the problem is to do with the organization and management

00:17capacity.

00:18In May 2024, the government presented an emergency plan to be implemented within 3 months to

00:43ensure full access to health care, but there is no major progress in sight.

01:06There are many complaints from patients, such as mandatory pre-screening by telephone before

01:11going to the emergency unit.

01:13This is further delaying medical interventions and subjecting patients to long waiting hours.

01:41Between 2020 and 2024, the level of satisfaction with public health care in Europe fell from

01:5774 percent to 56 percent, according to a report by the German pharmaceutical company Stata.

02:03Only 49 percent of the Portuguese said they were satisfied with their health service.

02:08In the Euro Health Consumer Index, Portugal ranks 13th among other 35 European countries.

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