A 70-year-old man with chronic illness and a history of stroke remained for approximately 36 hours in the emergency department of Hospital Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca in Amadora-Sintra after being admitted with symptoms that could indicate a new cerebrovascular accident. The case was reported by his wife, Maria do Céu, to Observador, who described the situation as "surreal."
The man was admitted to the hospital's General Emergency department at 15:05 on August 29, after being transported from his home in Massamá by order of the INEM's Centro de Orientação de Doentes Urgentes (CODU) [National Medical Emergency Institute's Emergency Patient Guidance Center]. The couple expected to face several hours of waiting due to the high pressure on the department, but the man ended up remaining at the hospital until around 02:00 on August 31.
According to Maria do Céu's account, her husband's medical file appeared to have been forgotten, and she had to go to the medical office to find out what was happening. Only after this intervention did the patient receive instructions to return home.
Given the high occupancy of the emergency department, some healthcare professionals have been advising patients and companions to formalize situations through the complaints book. Health authorities have also reinforced the appeal for citizens to contact the SNS 24 helpline before going to an emergency department, whenever the situation is not considered an emergency.
