A 70-year-old man with chronic illness and a history of stroke spent 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 stroke. 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 the Centro de Orientação de Doentes Urgentes of INEM. The couple expected to face several hours of waiting due to the high pressure on the service, but the man ended up remaining at the hospital until approximately 02:00 on August 31.
According to the wife's account to Observador, the husband's medical file had apparently been forgotten, and she had to go to the medical office to find out what was happening. Only after that intervention did the patient receive instructions to return home.
Given the high occupancy of emergency departments, some health professionals have been advising patients to formalize situations through the complaints book. Health authorities have also been reinforcing the appeal for citizens to contact the SNS 24 helpline before going to an emergency department, whenever the situation is not considered an emergency.
