This weekend, 189 health centers will be open to respond to non-emergency acute illnesses, the Ministry of Health announced, in light of the increased pressure felt in recent weeks on the SNS, with large crowds in emergency rooms and waiting times reaching 18 hours for urgent patients.
This weekend, 189 health centers will be open to respond to non-emergency acute illnesses, the Ministry of Health announced, in light of the increased pressure felt in recent weeks on the SNS, with large crowds in emergency rooms and waiting times reaching 18 hours for urgent patients.
So, in the list below you can see which health centers will be open this weekend and, if you need to, go to the one closest to your area of residence or the one that is convenient for you, avoiding unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health said that at a time of increased demand for health care, as a result of the increase in respiratory infections and the cold weather, which “can decompensate chronic illnesses”, users should first contact the SNS24 telephone line (808 24 24 24) for “advice and referral to the most appropriate health unit”.
The Ministry of Health stresses that health centers “are an alternative” to hospital emergency rooms “for consultations in non-emergency situations”.
Waiting times in hospital emergency rooms have increased due to the greater influx of patients, especially during the Christmas and New Year festive season and partly due to the increase in flu cases.
According to the Ministry of Health, more than 50,000 visits were made to health centers over the extended Christmas and New Year’s weekends. During this period, which coincided with a nurses’ strike, some health centers worked longer hours.
In the statement, the ministry emphasizes that opting for health centers in situations of acute non-emergency illness, such as mild to moderate respiratory symptoms, “contributes to better care for all users and to reducing pressure on the emergency services” of hospitals.
The note adds that the SNS24 line received 62,000 calls in the week from December 27 to January 2, up 12% on the previous week.