The Portuguese healthcare system is one of the best in the world

Our TLC programme is not just here to help with contacting builders or electricians after you have bought a property with us, it’s here for you whenever you need and so we have compiled a guide about the Portuguese health system.

The healthcare systems - both public and private - here in Portugal are excellent. You only have to look at Portugal’s high life expectancy (around 81 years which is higher than the EU average) to see how well-functioning the system is.

Portugal has a mixed healthcare system, with hospitals, medical centres, and other institutions operating either as public or private, but not both. Public healthcare is managed by the Portuguese national healthcare system the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS.) To have access to public services, you must first be registered with your local council (junta de freguesia) and then with the local healthcare centre, centro de saúde. Once you have registered with the health centre you will be given your healthcare number, Número de Utente and will be appointed a family doctor. You are not able to choose your family doctor in Portugal, a general practitioner is assigned to you. Keep in mind that in bigger cities family doctors may be fully booked and thus unable to take more patients. In these cases, you will be put on a waiting list and will be treated by whichever doctor is available.

Getting an appointment with your family doctor can be challenging. In theory, you can book an appointment online through SNS, but this does not always work for every health centre. If you can’t book online, call your health centre and request an appointment. If you have difficulty getting through via phone, the final option is to go in person. There may be certain days of the week when doctors will accept walk-ins without an appointment and if you do not have a family doctor (i.e., you are on the waiting list) you can still go to the centro de saúde but you can only go on “open days” and wait in line to see the first available doctor.

Public healthcare is free for all citizens and legal residents, however, you may have to pay some fees - ranging from €5 to €20 - when visiting emergency rooms, your family doctor, or requesting ambulance services.

There are several public hospitals throughout the country – the main two in the Algarve being found in Faro and Portimão - and each municipality is covered by local health centres that provide primary medical care. Portuguese medical staff are highly qualified and public hospitals in bigger cities are well-equipped with state-of-the-art resources and medical equipment. However, there are long waiting lists for elective procedures in the public sector, emergency rooms tend to be packed and it might take a few hours to be seen by a doctor.

You can rely on public healthcare to cover most of your medical needs and you can fully rely on emergency care in life-threatening circumstances. However, for some non-urgent procedures, your medical needs might not be met as quickly as you may want. Waiting times are a serious concern in Portugal and for this reason, many tend to take out private medical insurance to complement national health services and to cut down on waiting times. Health insurance in Portugal generally costs between €20 and €50 a month, depending on your age and the extent of your coverage.

It offers a range of insurance plans, from basic coverage - hospitalization and surgery - to all-encompassing ones including ambulances, doctor’s appointments, dentistry, appointments with specialists, exams and tests, even physical therapy.

Information is correct as of 2022.