Portimão Hospital Deaths: Man, 87, Died Waiting in ER, Inquiries Open

Two patients who went to the emergency department of the Hospital de Portimão in the Algarve reportedly died before a doctor saw them, and the regional health authority has opened internal inquiries into both cases. The first was a man of 87 who was found unconscious in the waiting room in the early hours of Wednesday.

Portimão’s mayor, Álvaro Bila, said on Saturday that the cases are of “extreme gravity” and called for urgent measures to keep the hospital working normally, according to Observador and RTP, citing a statement from the mayor.

What happened in the Portimão emergency room

The man of 87 had spent a long time waiting to be seen. Accounts of the wait differ: the mayor’s statement put it at 12 hours, while the IGAS (Portugal’s health inspectorate, Inspeção-Geral das Atividades em Saúde) told the Lusa news agency it was about 10 hours. When staff called him at around 04:00, he did not answer. Nurses later found him unconscious in the waiting room, according to the president of the ULS do Algarve (the public health unit that runs the region’s SNS hospitals).

The ULS do Algarve announced an inquiry into his death on Wednesday, and the IGAS confirmed to Lusa that it is opening its own.

The mayor described a second case: a patient who reportedly went about 24 hours without being examined by a doctor. Nurses have also filed complaints about serious problems in how the emergency service is organized and run.

How the health authority has responded

In a reply sent to Lusa on Saturday, the ULS do Algarve confirmed it had received an internal report on how the Portimão emergency department works. It said every situation described in that report led to an internal inquiry being opened at once to establish the facts and who is responsible.

The ULS said it would be premature to say more before the facts are established. It pointed to patients who stay in hospital for long periods for social reasons and said this makes it harder for others to get care.

To free up room in the emergency department, particularly in the clinical decision area, the ULS said it has asked department heads and service directors in several specialties to move these patients faster to the wards of their own services.

What the mayor is asking for

Bila offered condolences to the families and said he stands with health workers who, in his words, work daily “under enormous pressure.” He said a lack of resources, organization or coordination cannot be allowed to put patients’ safety at risk, and that the nurses’ complaints must be taken seriously.

He asked the board of the ULS do Algarve and the Ministry of Health to establish responsibility for the reported cases. He also said he will request an urgent meeting with Health Minister Ana Paula Martins and with the ULS management.

Why it matters for people using the SNS

The cases add to concerns about waiting times and staffing in emergency departments of the SNS (Portugal’s national health service). For residents and visitors who rely on the Hospital de Portimão, the inquiries will decide whether failures in the emergency service contributed to the deaths. The ULS has linked part of the strain to beds occupied by patients held for social reasons, a problem that affects how quickly new arrivals in the emergency room can be seen and admitted.

What happens next

Two sets of inquiries are under way: internal ones by the ULS do Algarve and a separate one by the IGAS into the death of the man of 87. No findings or timeline have been disclosed. The date of the mayor’s requested meeting with the health minister has not been announced.

Sources: Observador, RTP Notícias