Portugal Health Care

Health care

In the big cities and holiday spots it will probably not be too difficult for you to find a doctor you can contact in a language you speak, should this be necessary when you are spending the winter vacation there, since there are a large number of English-speaking and foreign doctors located in those areas. In local papers you will find advertisements of both Portuguese and foreign doctors.
In some of Portugal's rural areas hospital facilities are limited. Should you require medical care during your winter holiday there, it is best not to stay in rural areas.

In Portugal public and private health care are practised side by side. However, the public health care facilities are limited in some places.
In the big cities and holiday spots you will find emergency and private hospitals open 24/7. A smart thing to do before over wintering in Portugal is checking if your health insurance or travel insurance pays for admission into a private hospital or treatment by a private doctor.
If you require advice about an ailment during your winter vacation in Portugal the best thing to do is visit a pharmacy (Farmácia); they will be happy to provide free advice. The opening hours of the pharmacies are:

• Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Outside of these hours you can visit the pharmacist on duty (Farmácia de servico). You can locate the pharmacist on duty with the list the pharmacies have on their windows, or you can look it up in the local papers.
Another option is calling 118 and asking who the pharmacist on duty is and where he is located.