# HEALTH CARE INCREASED CHARGES from January 1st



## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

New fees for the Portuguese Health Service have been published and will start on the 1st January 2012

Consultation with a GP - €5

Consultation with a specialty doctor - €7,5

Consultation at the patient's home - €10

Consultation with a nurse at a medical centre - €4

Consultation with a nurse in a Hospital - €5

Emergency Service

Multipurpose emergency in a hospital - €20

Medical - Surgical emergency - €17,50

Basic emergency - €15

(The level of emergency is determined by the nature of the illness)

Consultation at a SAP service "Permanent Attendance Service" - €10

As well as the consultations, the supplementary means of diagnosis's fees have also gone up. The Government has set a ceiling of EUR 50, that can only be charged for supplementary means of diagnosis or therapy, such as CAT scan or blood tests for example, and only where the cost is in excess of 500 euros.

Although access to consultations and urgencies prices increase, this revision represents a reduction of rates in more expensive medical acts and a slight increase in cheaper and intermediate ones. For example a chest x-ray will cost 2 euros instead of the current €1.80. 

After the update from earlier this year, the highest fee charged for a medical activity was € 66.50, and this is now subject to the €50 ceiling.

All units of the health service must have the facilities to pay with bankcard and, in exceptional cases (where the patient does not have means of payment with them at the time) to provide for the possibility of paying through a bank transfer within ten days.
*Source: Economia e Finanças*


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Something like a repeat prescription where you don't see Doctor will be €3


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