# Portuguese NHS



## kw60 (May 12, 2012)

One of my fears when moving here last year was " what if I get ill and have to go to hospital ? "
Well my my worst fear came true on Monday morning when I woke up at 5 am in horrific pain.
Hubby took me to the local hospital where a very nice doctor saw me straight away and immediately called me an ambulance to take me to coimbra.
Long story short I was eventually diagnosed with acute appendicitis and operated on later that night.
The care I received was second to none. The doctors and nurses were great and thorough in diagnosing my condition ( they actually found another underlying condition I never knew about and I now face more surgery next month )
I arrived home last night with an arm full of letters for my doctor and painkillers.
I even have a follow up appointment booked for next month.
I can't help comparing the service I received here to the UK.... There is no contest ! Portugal wins hands down
Kim


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Kim,

Sorry to hear of your illness but glad to hear you had a good experience with the NHS at Coimbra. 

My better half got sick about this time last year and had to spend 10 days at Coimbra hospital and we also found the care there was tip top.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Echo tm's sentiments, anyone concerned on health care can't do better than come under Coimbra's HUC catchment or referral area


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## anapedrosa (Mar 21, 2011)

A speedy recovery. Thank you for sharing this, it is reassuring for those of us planning the move.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Plus you do come under Coimbra's catchment area as I understand it you can opt for Leira or Coimbra for hospital and consultants which is why areas on our short list for next move


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## anapedrosa (Mar 21, 2011)

canoeman said:


> Plus you do come under Coimbra's catchment area as I understand it you can opt for Leira or Coimbra for hospital and consultants which is why areas on our short list for next move


Are you referring to the Caldas area? I would have thought that Lisbon would be closer?


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Yes, Lisbon is closer theres only 49 kms in it and our personal experience and the reputation of Coimbra HUC would opt for it every time plus HUC is only a few minutes from A1


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## anapedrosa (Mar 21, 2011)

CM: 
Thank you for that!

I think my great-grandfather would be pleased with that. He studied medicine at Coimbra. He was room mates with Egas Moniz


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## kw60 (May 12, 2012)

Thank you all for best wishes I am much better now that I am home and being pampered !!!!
A question on the cost of care.
We paid the usual E5 when we arrived at cantanhede hospital to see the doctor.
I asked the surgeon who discharged me at HUC where I could pay my bill and his reply was " ah don't worry about money it's not a problem ! "
I assume after all the X-rays, scans, etc i had there would be monies owing not to mention the ambulance ride to coimbra,
Maybe they send a bill out in the post ?
Kim


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## Maggy Crawford (Sep 18, 2010)

I was in Coimbra Covoes Emergency last Sunday and received excellent care and treatment. We have a lot of experience of the health system here (husband, sister, brother in in law and me) and we all agree that, once you work your way around the system, it is very good and far better than the UK at the moment. In the 5 hours I was there I had an ultra-sound, X-ray and blood tests and got to see the relevant specialist after the initial chat with the duty doctor. You will probably get a bill in the post. Mine has not arrived yet but it is early days.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Need to milk that pampering as long as possible glad your on mend, I also had District Nurse visit for dressings etc

If the doctor or your health centre send you to Urgencia or transport you by ambulance to Urgencia or Hospital thats free.

If you visit any Urgencia without referral by your Doctor you pay also for tests, if you get a bill through post pay by due date, repercussions are you can be refused further treatment if you don't, you can pay via internet banking or multibanco reference numbers on bill.

If you request an ambulance from Bomberios you can get a bill, The 122 IMEN emergency ambulance are only for real emergency life endangering situations

The usual is that if hospitalized for any reason then all treatment, medications, tests, x-rays, surgery, care etc is all free, all you pay is a daily charge for bed, food if I remember 5€ per day


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

last thursday spent 1.5 hours in emergency.... Santarem...... checked in at 10.07, saw triage at 10.18, saw doctor at 10.38, has xrays at 10.57, saw doc again at 1o.58 to have a broken wrist confirmed....all xrays transferred by computer...had to have rings removed by nurse, wrist plastered by 11.17 and out of hospital grounds by 11.30 

all fantastic apart from broken wrist  and weeks in plaster


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Our daughter recently spent 6 3/4hrs in Leeds Jimmy's A&E bit of difference


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

canoeman said:


> Our daughter recently spent 6 3/4hrs in Leeds Jimmy's A&E bit of difference



just a tad


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## LuRiPo (Jun 20, 2013)

siobhanwf said:


> just a tad


Having spent 23 years as an A&E doctor in the NHS in Britain I can tell you that on occasions I have dealt with a fractured wrist in less than 30 minutes and on others the patient has waited many many hours. There is no way of predicting how busy A&E will be on any given day at any given time, or what terrible things will arrive at the Emergency Room doors - believe me I have tried to do that for years! My point being that an isolated anecdotal experience is not very enlightening - the patients quoted above would have had polar opposite opinions of the British NHS!


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