The emergency department of Fernando Fonseca Hospital, in Amadora-Sintra, registered wait times of almost 11 hours for patients classified as urgent (yellow bracelet). This value strongly contrasts with the recommended time by the Manchester triage system, which establishes a maximum waiting time of 60 minutes for this type of cases.
The article does not specify the concrete causes for this situation, but refers to a broader context of pressure on emergency services in Portugal. No comparative data with other hospitals or with previous periods is presented.
Fernando Fonseca Hospital serves a significant population of the Lisbon region, attending patients from the municipalities of Amadora and Sintra. The reported situation directly affects patients who need urgent but non-emergency care, classified with a yellow bracelet in the triage system.
No measures taken by the hospital administration or by the Ministry of Health in response to this alarming situation are mentioned. The article focuses essentially on the discrepancy between the actual waiting time and the recommended time by the triage protocol in effect.
