“The existence of a CAC in Coimbra was essential to complement the response to acute illness, given that a percentage of residents had no other resource but the emergency service, in addition to occasional users (about 30,000 students),” stated the chairman of the ULS board this afternoon.
According to Alexandre Lourenço, the CAC network has improved the response to acute illness and reduced response times, having served more than 12,000 users referred by the SNS24 Line in less than a year.
The CACs in Cantanhede, Avelar (municipality of Ansião), Oliveira do Hospital, and Miranda do Corvo, which gradually opened since the end of 2024, were joined by the Hospital Geral (Covões) on the left bank of the Mondego in the city of Coimbra, which started operating on November 1, and the CAC of the Fundação Sophia, active since Monday.
According to the president of the ULS of Coimbra, it was possible to reduce emergency admissions by 17% and decrease, on average, two minutes from 21 to 19 minutes, between admission and triage, and 13 minutes between triage and the first medical observation, reducing from 67 to 54 minutes.
“The goal in 2026 is to improve these numbers,” emphasized Alexandre Lourenço, also noting that, from a financial point of view, CACs are an “economic asset for the National Health Service (SNS).”
All six centers in this network offer additional diagnostic services — clinical analysis, X-rays, and electrocardiograms, in addition to medical and nursing staff.
Strategically located, the CACs reduce barriers to accessing care and the influx to hospital emergencies, ensuring rapid and adequate medical and nursing evaluation, allowing for referral to the most appropriate level of care.
The CAC of the Fundação Sophia, on Rua da Sofia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, operates during the week from 12:00 to 20:00 and on weekends from 10:00 to 18:00, requiring patients to call the Saúde24 Line in advance.
The president of the ULS of Coimbra also urged vaccination against the flu due to the forecast of an aggressive flu season.
“These two CACs in Coimbra provide another assurance to better face the impact of the flu season,” said Alexandre Lourenço.
