Urgent Care Crisis: Patients Wait Over 17 Hours at Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon

Urgent Care Delays at Santa Maria Hospital

Patients deemed urgent are facing a staggering wait time of over 17 hours to receive care at Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon, as reported by the National Health Service (SNS). According to data collected this morning, at 9:00 AM on Sunday, 31 patients with yellow wristbands, indicating urgent cases, were waiting in the emergency room. The recorded wait time for these cases is 17 hours and 3 minutes.

In contrast, patients with green wristbands, categorized as less urgent, have a wait time of approximately two hours, with 15 individuals currently awaiting treatment.

Other Hospitals' Situations

At Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca Hospital, eight patients with yellow wristbands are waiting for 6 hours and 49 minutes. For those with green wristbands, the wait extends to over 13 hours. Meanwhile, in Cascais Hospital, the wait exceeds seven hours, although only one patient is currently in line.

In Beatriz Ângelo Hospital, known for its frequent service constraints, patients with yellow wristbands wait about four hours, with 34 individuals queued. However, those with orange wristbands, indicating very urgent conditions, experience a much shorter wait of around 33 minutes.

This hospital has activated a contingency plan, which will remain effective until at least January 13.

In the Hospitals of the University of Coimbra, patients with yellow wristbands face a wait of 5 hours and 48 minutes.

Situation in the North

Conversely, hospitals in the north, including those in Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, and Braga, report more manageable wait times, ranging from 30 minutes to two hours.