Emergency & Medical Serv=
ices
Accident & Emergency; Ambulances; Analyses,
Clinics & Tests; Dentists; Doctors & Hospitals – NHS &
Private; Mobile Telephone Emergency Contact; Pharmacies; Translation Servic=
es.
For any serious medical situation, SPEED
is of the essence in getting professional guidance and relevant
assistance. The organisation =
you
call will ALWAYS want to ask f=
or
additional information regarding the nature, symptoms and seriousness of the
situation, as well as information about the casualty and their medical hist=
ory.
It is therefore much faster if YOU
make the initial call rather than going via the Marina Reception or Securit=
y. In
any life-threatening or other serious medical condition, we strongly urge YOU TO CALL (00351) 112 (or *7 112 from the Yellow Telephones). The emergency staff will speak Eng=
lish
and are trained to help you, qu=
ickly.
|
FOR SPEED - Always use 112 in a REAL MEDICAL
EMERGENCY. |
Marina Phone |
Prefix (00351) |
|
EMERGENCY - ENGLISH SPOKEN |
(YELLOW) *7 112 |
112 |
|
Ambulance & Fire (Bombeiros) |
(Yellow) *7 113 |
282 770 790 |
|
Hospital, Lagos, Public (A&E) |
(Yellow) *7 115 |
282 770 100 |
|
Hospital, Luzdoc, Private (24 Hr) |
(Yellow) *7 114 |
917 811 988 |
|
Hospital; São Gonçalo,
Private (08-24) |
282 760 181 |
|
|
Police, Lagos, (PSP) |
282 762 930 |
|
|
Police, Maritime |
916 613 519 |
|
|
Security Patrol (VHF Ch 09) |
Head Office, *7 116 |
919 560 743 |
Accident & Emergency
![3DDSC03101.JPG](3D"Emergency&Medical.htm_files/image002.jpg")
![3DDSC03096.JPG](3D"Emergency&Medical.htm_files/image004.jpg")
There is a small A&E unit located in the local hospital, d=
own
at the river mouth in Lagos. =
It is
on a side street behind the church of Santa Maria, on the big “Henry =
the
Navigator” Square.
The unit is in the one-way street system and you may have to be
taken a devious route. =
It is signed
“URGÊNCIA”, =
and gives
24-hour cover for all immediate incidents and accidents. Take your passport and EHIC. Some money and/or a credit card ar=
e useful
- see below re charges for treatment.
The main hospital is in Portimão (20 minutes drive) whe=
re
all major emergencies will be treated.&nbs=
p;
The 2 private hospital=
s both
give A & E cover – Luzdoc for 24 hrs and São Gonçalo
from 0800 to 2400, both 7 days per week.&n=
bsp;
![3D"IMG_0733.JPG"](3D"Emergency&Medical.htm_files/image006.jpg")
Ambulances
The “Bombeiros Voluntarios” is the Fire, Rescue and Ambulance
Service. It has some full-time
staff but is mainly staffed by fully trained volunteers for out-of-hours
services.
There is a small charge for using them for
emergency call-out and/or for transport to hospital. This is about the
same as a taxi fare, and as they are a semi-voluntary organisation, it is
always charged.
Analyses, Clinics &
Tests
As well as =
the
more common tests carried out in the hospitals – X-ray; Cardio; Blood
etc. - there are a wide range of private clinics in the town, catering for =
most
types of examinations and tests.
However, you may need to travel to =
Portimão,
or even Faro, for the more specialist examinations, e.g. MRI scans.
The NHS or
private doctor will refer you to the specialist clinic as necessary –=
and
the Portuguese NHS is happy to use private clinics if they need a specific
service.
Accident & Emergency
![3DDSC03096.JPG](3D"Emergency&Medical.htm_files/image007.jpg")
![3DDSC03101.JPG](3D"Emergency&Medical.htm_files/image008.jpg")
There is a small A&E unit located in the local hospital, d=
own
at the river mouth in Lagos.
It is on a side street behind the church of Santa Maria, on th=
e big
“Henry the Navigator” Square.
The unit is in the one-way street system and you may have to be
taken a devious route. =
It is signed
“URGÊNCIA”, =
and gives
24-hour cover for all immediate incidents and accidents. Take your passport and EHIC. Some money and/or a credit card ar=
e useful
- see below re charges for treatment.
The main hospital is in Portimão (20 minutes drive) whe=
re
all major emergencies will be treated.&nbs=
p;
The 2 private hospital=
s both
give A & E cover – Luzdoc for 24 hrs and São Gonçalo
from 0800 to 2400, both 7 days per week.&n=
bsp;
![3D"IMG_0733.JPG"](3D"Emergency&Medical.htm_files/image009.jpg")
Ambulances
The “Bombeiros Voluntarios” is the Fire, Rescue and Ambulance
Service.
It has some full-time staff but is mainly
staffed by fully trained volunteers for out-of-hours services.
There is a small charge for using them for
emergency call-out and/or for transport to hospital. This is about the
same as a taxi fare, and as they are a semi-voluntary organisation, it is
always charged.
Analyses, Clinics &
Tests
As well as =
the
more common tests carried out in the hospitals – X-ray; Cardio; Blood
etc. - there are a wide range of private clinics in the town, catering for =
most
types of examinations and tests.
However, you may need to travel to
Portimão, or even Faro, for the more specialist examinations, e.g. M=
RI
scans.
The NHS or
private doctor will refer you to the specialist clinic as necessary –=
and
the Portuguese NHS is happy to use private clinics if they need a specific
service.
Interesting=
ly,
the results of all tests, including those from the state hospitals and
laboratories, are your property - you take them away and bring them back ea=
ch
visit!
Charges for Treatment
All Portuguese NHS units make small charges =
for
all treatments, tests and drugs etc, - and these apply to locals as well as=
to
visitors. This is about ̈́=
4;2 to
€5 for each item - eg seeing a doctor; x-ray; blood test; etc. =
Recent
experience has shown that for real emergencies, the charges have been waive=
d on
production of EHIC
Prescribed
drugs will be issued at a discount on production of your EHIC card – =
just
make sure your prescription has been stamped by the issuing doctor, surgery=
or
hospital, before trying to collect it from the pharmacy.
Dentists
There are many dentists around the town
– all of whom are private practitioners.
A personal favourite is Philippe Jo=
seph,
who has looked after us for 8 years.
For his surgery, go to Lidls roundabout, turn left and it is on the
ground floor of the second building on the left.
Also well spoken of by visiting yachts=
men
is Dr Carolyn Ellison, whose sur=
gery
is now in Rua Brigadeiro Costa Franco, behind
Intermarché and the São Gonçalo Private Hospital. Her
previous surgery was in Rua Barocca.
Doctors & Hospitals & Health Centre – “NHS”<=
/b>
Portugal ha=
s an
excellent "National Health Service" which is available to all.
For
non-emergency situations, the Health Centre - on the western edge of the to=
wn -
is your first point of contact. It
has GP, analysis and treatment services, and it functions like a major UK
Medical Centre. If they do no=
t have
the analytical or specialist equipment needed, you may well be referred to a
private operator, at no extra cost.
Doctors & Hospitals – Private
There are 2 private hospitals in Lagos. “Luzdoc” have a recept=
ion
room in the Marina at Edifício Gil Eanes, behind “J” pon=
toon
and their hospital is in Praia de Luz.&nbs=
p;
“São Gonçalo Hospital” is on the outskirts=
of
Lagos itself, just behind Intermarché.
There are also some self employed GPs in the town – but they ca=
n be
hard to find as they do not advertise their services.
Costs are generally about €55 to see a GP; about €11 per
X-Ray; and about €65 for seeing a consultant – but be aware that
specialists and consultants may only visit Lagos on a weekly basis.
Mobile Telephone Emergency Contacts –
“ECE”
If you are
unconscious, the rescue services will look for your mobile phone and search=
for
an entry under "ECE". This stands for "Em Caso de Emergência" which means "In Case of
Emergency".
After
"ECE" you should have entered your desired contact's name - eg. N=
ame:
ECE - BARBARA O'BRIEN. Then enter the appropriate number, as normal, includ=
ing
any prefixes (eg. 0044). The emergency service staff will then be able to c=
all
your nominated contact, let them know what has happened, and to which hospi=
tal
you have been taken.
![3DDSC03088.JPG](3D"Emergency&Medical.htm_files/image011.jpg")
Pharmacies
There are 5
main "Farmácias&qu=
ot; in
Lagos, marked with the “Green Plus” sign. The one shown is at the foot of th=
e road
to the A&E Hospital
They all ha=
ve
qualified pharmacists who can give a "front-line" diagnostic
service.
Note that
although the “Technical Director” of the pharmacy is always sho=
wn
as “Doctor Xxyyzz”,
this is a courtesy title; they are qualified pharmacists, not doctors.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>
These
Farmácias also manage a rota system which gives an out-of-hours serv=
ice,
7 days a week – though not necessarily 24/7 – publicised in each
pharmacy.
There are a=
lso
some “Parafarmácias”
in the town, which usually have a BLUE cross as their sign. (For example, there is such a unit
within, but separate from, the main Intermarché supermarket). They may have pharmacists on the
premises for advice and guidance about minor ailments, but they cannot disp=
ense
prescription drugs. They can =
be
handy for non-prescription items, anti-septic creams and pain-killers like
“Paracetemol”, which cannot be sold in ordinary supermarkets or
shops in Portugal.
Translation Services<= o:p>
In a case of
genuine emergency - perhaps an issue involving medical, police or government
services - translation assistance can be obtained by telephone, from a
Government office for “Immigration and Inter-Cultural Dialogue”,
called “ACIDI”.
You can rea=
ch
them by telephone, Monday to Friday; 1000 to 1800. They will then help to
ensure understanding by all parties involved, perhaps by setting up a 3-way
conference call.