Emergency Wait Times Surge: Hospital Santa Maria Patients Face Over Four-Hour Delays

Alarming Wait Times at Hospital Santa Maria

Patients classified as urgent are experiencing over four hours of waiting time before receiving care at the Hospital Santa Maria in Lisbon. As of 6 PM, there were 36 patients with a yellow wristband, indicating an urgent situation, facing an average wait time of 4 hours and 34 minutes according to the latest data from the National Health Service.

Critical Cases Awaiting Care

In addition, five patients with an orange wristband (very urgent) have been waiting an average of 3 hours and 39 minutes for treatment. Meanwhile, eleven patients with a green wristband (less urgent) are facing even longer waits, averaging 5 hours and 21 minutes.

Comparison with Other Hospitals

A recent survey by Lusa highlighted that this was the most challenging situation among various hospitals in Lisbon by the end of the day. At the Beatriz Ângelo Hospital in Loures, which previously faced wait times exceeding ten hours, conditions have improved, but patients still wait longer than expected. Just before 6 PM, three very urgent cases were waiting an average of 33 minutes, while 37 urgent cases had an average wait of four hours.

Regional Variations in Wait Times

In central Portugal, the situation appears to be calmer. For instance, at the University Hospitals of Coimbra, the average wait for very urgent cases was just 24 minutes, while urgent cases waited 1 hour and 35 minutes. The hospital’s protocol prioritizes cases based on urgency, from immediate attention for emergency cases (red wristband) to a maximum wait of 240 minutes for non-urgent cases (blue wristband).

Triage Protocol

The Manchester Triage System is employed to assess patients and assign them a priority for care ranging from emergency to non-urgent needs, ensuring that those in critical condition receive timely attention.