02:27:22 Tuesday, 19th March

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Should you need assistance, you'll find all the necessary health facilities in Porto, such as health centres, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.

The Portuguese National Health System (Sistema Nacional de Saúde) operates in mainland Portugal and all citizens, including foreigners, have the right to receive healthcare.

If you have any minor problems, it is best to look for the local State health centre (from the Sistema Nacional de Saúde), which provides healthcare services to the public. They are normally open from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. but some of them have extended opening hours and are open at weekends, for very urgent situations. There are also private clinics with various specialities and hospitals, normally for more urgent cases.

If you are going to travel, find out about the European Health Insurance Card. This card allows you access to healthcare in Portugal, as long as you are the beneficiary of a social security system in one of the countries of the European Union, Switzerland or the European Economic Area. Before travelling, you must request for this document to be issued in your country.

Apart from ensuring that you receive healthcare in Portugal without having to return to your country, this insurance also means that following your return home, you can be reimbursed for any expenses incurred. Nevertheless, this card does not encompass healthcare provided in the private sector and does not cover expenses if you travel with the express purpose of receiving medical treatment. As each country has a different health system, there is no guarantee that the services that are free in your country are also free in another.

In case of medical emergency, the National Emergency Number in Portugal is 112