The Health Minister, while speaking to journalists during a visit to the Portimão Hospital, addressed concerns over nearly 1.5 million unanswered calls on the Saúde 24 helpline, stating that the “number is obviously very high.”
She noted the increase in calls from 1.8 million to almost four million, acknowledging that the helpline has been reinforced, though admitting that not all constraints have been resolved.
Ana Paula Martins highlighted certain days, “such as Monday, when the response time exceeds three minutes,” emphasizing the need to “enter the winter with better service levels.”
“This is being addressed with the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health and Altice to provide responses, as it is increasingly beneficial to have more people contacting the SNS before heading to emergency services,” she concluded.
Ana Paula Martins commenced visits to Local Health Units nationwide today as part of preparations for the National Health Service (SNS) ahead of the winter season.
