Portugal: New hospital to benefit 550,000 people

Lisbon: The new Sintra Hospital, which will open on Monday, will open its basic emergency department on Saturday, starting at 8:00 a.m., the chairman of the board of directors of the Amadora-Sintra Local Health Unit (ULS) announced today.

“The hospital will begin operating in a phased manner, starting today with some consultations. Starting tomorrow [Saturday], we will open the SUB – the basic emergency department – ​​and on Monday, surgical and inpatient services,” said Carlos Sá.

Speaking after a visit to the hospital unit that will support the Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca Hospital (HFF), the president of the Amadora-Sintra ULS stated that the operation will be carried out in a “phased manner.”

“The hospital is fully operational. The volume of activity will be increased gradually, precisely to ensure that all circuits are functioning properly and that everything is in order in terms of patient safety. The hospital will be fully operational starting next week,” he emphasized.

The basic emergency service at the new Sintra Hospital begins operations two days after being temporarily suspended in Mem-Martins due to the transfer of services.

“The basic emergency service will be operational tomorrow [Saturday], starting at 8:00 AM. Patients who need to go to the basic emergency service should first call SNS24 [808 242 424]. If they are referred to the SUB, they will be referred here at the hospital, starting tomorrow at 8:00 AM.

The new Sintra Hospital will relieve pressure on the HFF, one of the largest in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, by now treating non-urgent cases in the emergency department.

“We will open all possible services, including consultations, surgical procedures, inpatient care, and, of course, emergency care, to allow for more specialized care closer to the populations we serve,” emphasized Carlos Sá.

The new hospital, which began construction in 2021, is located in Casal da Cavaleira, in the parish of Algueirão-Mem. Martins Hospital with a covered area of ​​10,500 square meters and an uncovered area of​​49,000 square meters.

It represents an investment by the Sintra City Council of over 62 million euros and will benefit 550,000 patients.

Carlos Sá explained that the total investment was approximately 81 million euros.

“We’re talking about an investment of 63.8 million euros for the construction work, that is, the construction of the building, and an additional approximately 17 million euros for all the equipment and real estate that were installed here at the hospital. We’re talking about approximately 81 million euros,” he stated.

Sintra Hospital offers outpatient services, outpatient consultations and examinations, a mental health unit, physical rehabilitation medicine, a collection center and complementary diagnostic and therapeutic resources, and an outpatient surgery unit with a surgery and recovery room.

It also has a basic emergency service capable of handling approximately 60,000 emergencies, about half of those performed at Amadora-Sintra Hospital, a Convalescence Unit with 60 beds, a pharmacy, a sterilization unit, and a teaching and training space.