Increased difficulty getting medical appointments

TGCampo Serial expat

347POSTS

2 years ago

Over the last couple of years I have noticed that it is getting more and more difficult to make appointments with especially medical specialists. In the pre-Covid days I never had to wait more than a couple of weeks at CUF or Hospital da Luz, but now it can take months to get an appointment? We do have private insurance, so that shouldn't be the issue. Have you notices this as well? Is it different elsewhere in Portugal or is the Conselho Lisboa special in this respect?

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Carol2022 New member

7POSTS

2 years ago

@TGCampo

Perhaps we are lucky but we are amazed at how quickly we get appointments in CUF Torres Vedras. I made one this morning....for tomorrow morning. Certainly a lot quicker than in Ireland where we also had private insurance. We love that you can make your own appointment directly with consultants without having to go first to GP for referral

TGCampo Serial expat

347POSTS

2 years ago

@Carol2022

Yes, that sometimes works for us as well, and previously one could even get a specialist. However, recently I am seeing long (several week) waiting times, even for repeat appointments. Maybe it is just some volatility in the system.