Algarve Hospitals Cancel Scheduled Surgeries Amid Rising Patient Demand

Surgeons in Algarve Respond to Increased Demand

Due to a surge in patient demand, scheduled non-urgent surgeries at Algarve hospitals have been canceled. This decision took effect on Monday, and approximately twenty appointments have already been postponed in the region.

Tiago Botelho, director of the local health unit, stated, "This measure is under constant evaluation and can be reversed at any moment." He emphasized that the clinical direction is closely monitoring the situation, assessing both the demand for emergency care and requests from various surgical specialties to avoid canceling surgeries.

Botelho remains optimistic, noting that if the demand for emergency services continues as observed, and with the addition of 51 new beds, it may be possible to reverse the decision within the week.

Staffing Adjustments for Emergency Services

To manage the increased demand, both Portimão and Faro emergency services have been reinforced with the hiring of 16 additional professionals, including doctors and nurses, to oversee the newly opened beds. Most of these new hires are temporary staff to handle the transitory spike in activity.

Despite these operational changes, Botelho assures that the emergency teams are adequately equipped to handle incoming patients. He acknowledges that maintaining service levels for patients staying longer than usual in emergency care was becoming challenging, but the recruitment for the new beds has allowed existing staff to focus on new patients effectively.