If you find yourself needing an emergency room visit Lisbon, don’t be too scared. Unfortunately, I’ve been privy to 3 emergency room visits. One was with an American friend who came here to visit and the others were for Portuguese residents on a D7 Visa who both have Portuguese Health Insurance. Both were at private hospitals (Hospital Luz & Hospital Lusíadas) since I have not used Portugal’s public health system. I’ll break down what happened and the costs. If you have questions, just leave them in the comments.
Emergency Room Visit with Portuguese Health Insurance
The first Emergency Room visit in Lisbon was at Hospital Luz in Benfica near Colombo Mall. In my opinion, Hospital Luz is the best private hospital in Lisbon. Its equipment is state of the art, most of its staff speaks English and can be reached by metro by taking the Blue Line to the Colegio Militar stop. The second Emergency Room visit in Lisbon was at Hospital Lusíadas. This was also a fine hospital and the process was almost the same. The biggest difference for us was that at Lusíadas, there were significantly fewer people who spoke English. Luckily, I have been taking Portuguese classes twice a week for the past year and this helped significantly. If you don’t speak Portuguese, you may have a more difficult time depending on who is there. The second difference was in payment. At Luz we paid before the visit, at Lusíadas, we paid after. There is more info on payment towards the middle of this post.
Admission to the Emergency Room in Lisbon
When you first arrive, you must take a ticket. Choose the one that says “Admissões”. When you see this number go up, you can go to the register. They will ask for your name, ID, and Portuguese Insurance Card. If you are already a patient at that hospital, they should already have this on file. Then they will ask you to pay for the visit which costs €40 (we’ll get into what the price includes later). You will keep your number and use it for the next step.
Triage
At this point, you will be told to sit in the waiting room to wait for triage. Once they call your number, you will be taken into a private room with a desk. A nurse there will take your vitals and ask you why you are in the emergency room. Once they enter all your information, it is time for step 3.
Consultation
You are asked to go to a different waiting room. This is where all the people who are sick are at. The seats are definitely not the most comfortable. There is a sign above that gives you approximate wait times. We found these were not accurate. When your number is finally called, you will walk into a private consultation room where more detailed information will be asked about your condition and where you will be examined. The doctor there will decide on the type of treatments and tests you will need. Once they have concluded the consultation, you go back to the waiting room and wait to be called in for treatment.
Treatment
Once they call your number, you walk into a treatment room. This is where they will do things such as draw blood, etc. If you need more serious exams or treatments, you will go back to the waiting room and wait for your number to be called so you can be taken to the appropriate department (this is in case you need something like a CAT scan).
The Diagnosis
Once the doctors are done, you will have a second consultation. They will tell you if you need to be processed for intake, if you can go home, or if you need to come back in another day for observation.
The Cost
If you have Portuguese health insurance, this will all cost €40. Both hospitals accepted American credit cards. This visit included an emergency room visit, a CAT scan, blood, and urine tests. The follow-up visit the next day was free. If you end up needing to stay a the hospital, prices and methods of payment will vary. Let me break that down a touch.
The process was almost exactly the same as above (this was at Hospital da Luz). The only difference was the pricing. A visit to the emergency room (this was in 2017) cost almost €200. If you have Portugal health insurance for tourists, some of that cost should be amortized by your plan. I hope this post about emergency room visits in Lisbon helps some of you. If you have a question about something I did not cover, just ask in the comments.
What Emergency Room Visits Are Like in Lisbon
Emergency Room Visit with Portuguese Health Insurance
The first Emergency Room visit in Lisbon was at Hospital Luz in Benfica near Colombo Mall. In my opinion, Hospital Luz is the best private hospital in Lisbon. Its equipment is state of the art, most of its staff speaks English and can be reached by metro by taking the Blue Line to the Colegio Militar stop. The second Emergency Room visit in Lisbon was at Hospital Lusíadas. This was also a fine hospital and the process was almost the same. The biggest difference for us was that at Lusíadas, there were significantly fewer people who spoke English. Luckily, I have been taking Portuguese classes twice a week for the past year and this helped significantly. If you don’t speak Portuguese, you may have a more difficult time depending on who is there. The second difference was in payment. At Luz we paid before the visit, at Lusíadas, we paid after. There is more info on payment towards the middle of this post.
Admission to the Emergency Room in Lisbon
When you first arrive, you must take a ticket. Choose the one that says “Admissões”. When you see this number go up, you can go to the register. They will ask for your name, ID, and Portuguese Insurance Card. If you are already a patient at that hospital, they should already have this on file. Then they will ask you to pay for the visit which costs €40 (we’ll get into what the price includes later). You will keep your number and use it for the next step.
Triage
At this point, you will be told to sit in the waiting room to wait for triage. Once they call your number, you will be taken into a private room with a desk. A nurse there will take your vitals and ask you why you are in the emergency room. Once they enter all your information, it is time for step 3.
Consultation
You are asked to go to a different waiting room. This is where all the people who are sick are at. The seats are definitely not the most comfortable. There is a sign above that gives you approximate wait times. We found these were not accurate. When your number is finally called, you will walk into a private consultation room where more detailed information will be asked about your condition and where you will be examined. The doctor there will decide on the type of treatments and tests you will need. Once they have concluded the consultation, you go back to the waiting room and wait to be called in for treatment.
Treatment
Once they call your number, you walk into a treatment room. This is where they will do things such as draw blood, etc. If you need more serious exams or treatments, you will go back to the waiting room and wait for your number to be called so you can be taken to the appropriate department (this is in case you need something like a CAT scan).
The Diagnosis
Once the doctors are done, you will have a second consultation. They will tell you if you need to be processed for intake, if you can go home, or if you need to come back in another day for observation.
The Cost
If you have Portuguese health insurance, this will all cost €40. Both hospitals accepted American credit cards. This visit included an emergency room visit, a CAT scan, blood, and urine tests. The follow-up visit the next day was free. If you end up needing to stay a the hospital, prices and methods of payment will vary. Let me break that down a touch.
- Hospital Luz: If you need to stay at the hospital, you will need to put in a deposit of €2700 on top of the emergency room visit cost. The deposit is for a 1-week duration and if you stay less, you are refunded for the length of time you did not stay. This can be paid in cash, by credit card, or by check. However, the hospital will do all the insurance paperwork. Once your insurance processes the claim, they will pay the hospital for their portion and then the hospital will reimburse you for the difference. I was told this process does take some time.
- Hospital Lusíadas: The deposit here was significantly less at €500 for 3 days. The insurance processing and payments work pretty much the same as Hospital Luz.
The process was almost exactly the same as above (this was at Hospital da Luz). The only difference was the pricing. A visit to the emergency room (this was in 2017) cost almost €200. If you have Portugal health insurance for tourists, some of that cost should be amortized by your plan. I hope this post about emergency room visits in Lisbon helps some of you. If you have a question about something I did not cover, just ask in the comments.
Blanca, that’s extremely useful, thanks a lot. I hope that I won’t be needing it though 🙂
I hope the same for you. It’s always challenging when you need to navigate a new health system. So far, we are so happy with Medis as our Portuguese health insurance & both Hospital Luz & Hospital Lusiadas. Highly recommend all three.
Wow, I pray I never have to visit the emergency room in Lisbon or any other country although the information presented her seems very useful.
That must be really helpful. I guess it’s scary to have emergency room visits in a new country but if we have the right insurance, it’s a little reassuring.
An emergency room should just have state of the art facilities although this tends to make them more expensive over here. Anyway, it’s common to see emergency rooms where you ahev to pay before the service.
Portugal is one of those places on my bucket list and I truly hope that I would not need to use the emergency room while there. At least I am now aware of my options.
Although I want to refrain from all ERs the next few months, this information is still useful for travel emergencies! It is really cool that their follow ups are free if you have insurance.
It always amazes me how hospital treatment and cost differs around the world. This is really great information of anyone who is headed to the area thank you.
Sounds like that it is good and helpful. I can’t imagine being in another country, not speaking the language and having to figure out an emergency room. Are there other countries like Portugal where most people speak English. This would make emergency visits significantly easier, especially for newer travelers.
I also had to visit the ER in Italy. Milan to be exact. I was shocked. My better half had to get stitches in the middle of the night and when we left we owed nothing. It was amazing. That was the first time I realized how bad healthcare in the US was…and when I started to seriously think about moving.
It really is. That’s why I put together this post, I figured it may make someone’s life a little easier.
You’re so right on the pricing. That and the stress the staff must go through definitely make the higher prices justified. It’s so weird to pay beforehand. In the US, we paid after…but we also paid exorbitant prices…so I will take these set pre-paid emergency room visits in Lisbon any time.
YAY! I always get excited when people say they want to come here. It’s such a wonderful country to visit. When you’re ready to come, if you have any questions on visiting Portugal, don’t be shy to ask 🙂
Before moving to Lisbon, I did tons of travel, so I’ve unfortunately had to visit emergency rooms in Europe and Latin America. I have to say that Italy, France and Portugal did not disappoint. And…I too want to refrain from them as well…for as long as possible 🙂
It cost zero Euros in Italy and 25 euros in France. I was blown away.
Extremely useful! It’s interesting to read how hospital visits can be similar and different in other countries!
Thanks for this information! I’ve got a few trips hopefully in my future . I hadn’t thought about the local hospitals and procedures just in case. You never know! Thanks again pretty lady
Nobody likes emergency rooms but it’s so necessary to know what we would face out there. I agree that US health system is insane expensive. Even with health insurance one can end up having a tremendous bill after visiting an emergency room. It’s crazy! Thank you for sharing your experience in Lisbon.
Merry Christmas!
XO
Candace
I love traveling but the one thing that worries me is having to visit a hospital in another country. I’m not sure why, it’s just always been a fear.
This is such a smart thing to have a post on! I’m sorry you had the experience but I’m glad you’re sharing it with others. Dealing with a different healthcare system is completely overwhelming when you know you need to do it, let alone if you’re ill or injured!
When you travel so much, you eventually figure out how to handle things…even when you don’t speak the language. Thankfully, most people in Lisbon speak English and that means that ER staff does too. This was one of the “easiest” ER visits ever!
Thanks for the comment, Leu. Where are you headed to? And most importantly, when are you and your lovely wife going to make it to Portugal?
It’s perfectly normal to have a fear like that. Particularly for those who have kids. So far, in Europe, it’s been fairly easy.
I’m just shocked at how much I paid in the US vs what I pay here for healthcare overall. The emergency room visit price in Lisbon was quite a pleasant surprise for me.
Wishing you a beautiful Christmas too Candace 🙂
All these years that I traveled, I struggled to find info in English for things like this, so I told myself I’d share knowledge when I had it. And you’re so right, when you’re injured it is even more challenging to manage a healthcare system. Luckily, the Portuguese healthcare system makes it so much easier than in the US.
Emergency room in a foreign country for me seems very scary. But your story is such informative and smart thing to share this to people who might happen and experience. Kudos!
Definitely is. I’ve been traveling for so long that it has gotten easier (and thankfully I speak multiple languages), but I put this guide on visiting the emergency room in Lisbon to help those who may find themselves in a challenging situation.
Super interesting! I’ve thankfully only been in an emergency room twice my entire life for nothing scary. I couldn’t imagine having to go outside of my country!
Lucky you! I’ve been in the ER more times than I wanted to…it’s definitely scary when you’re out of your element. That’s exactly why I put this guide together. Have an amazing day!
Would love to get to Portugal! Looks like we’re gonna do South Africa in 2019 and I’d like to get to South America in another year or so, but yeah, your new home is on my list! Happy New Year!
Let me know when you get it on the scheduled 🙂
I admit that one of the things that would scare me is to visit any emergency rooms especially during my trip. Your post is very help guide when going to Portugal.
It’s definitely something scary when you’re in another country, but once you have to go the first time, it just gets easier to navigate those foreign systems.
I’d say the Philippines. Most young people in the major cities in the world (Paris, Rome, Berlin) will have plenty of English speakers as well 🙂
This was very helpful since I am considering living in Estoril/Cascais area which has nearby CUF hospital.
When you say Portuguese insurance, I assume you mean the private health insurance you buy from a bank or some other institution in Portugal. Also, can you address ambulance care? I heard from a neighbor who traveled to Sintra about a tourist who died there. Although an ambulance came, the techs didn’t bring oxygen or have the capacity to administer CPR, which this neighbor did for quite a while.
Hi Christine,
Glad you liked the article on emergency room visits in Lisbon. Yes, this was with private health insurance through Medis. It depends on which Portuguese insurance company and plan you choose. The plan I have covers 100% of ambulance visits within the network and 35% without. Just make sure you ask your insurance company when you are looking into your plans. You may also want to speak to the hospitals in your area to find out what services are available with their ambulance fleet so that if an emergency happens you know what to expect. I have an article to guide you on getting Portuguese health insurance here. https://blancavalbuena.com/get-healthcare-portugal/
🙂
Blanca
How do you obtain health insurance in Portugal? Can you provide a link?
The process is not difficult at all. I outlined the process on how to get health insurance in Portugal. I’ve also outlined some of the prices of healthcare in Portugal as well 🙂
I’m a American and will be traveling to Lisbon on Tuesday. I’m not able to get into my regular doctor here in the US before I depart. I’d like to be seen by a Portuguese Doctor for congestion when I arrive. What would be the process to be seen? I’m not sure if it’s standard to go to the emergency room for something not really a emergency? And do you know the average cost of antibiotics? Or to get blood drawn?
Hi Susan,
Pleased to meet you. You can go to one of the hospitals in the emergency room, however, if you go to the emergency room it will be more expensive than seeing a regular doctor and the wait will be longer.
Most of the hospitals here have international services, so you can write to them (in English) and they can set up an appointment with an English-speaking doctor. You may also want to see what your traveler’s insurance will cover and if they have partnerships with any of the hospitals.
I’m not 100% sure how much they will charge you, but here are the links to a few of the hospital’s international services:
Hospital Luz: https://www.hospitaldaluz.pt/pt/hospital-da-luz/para-clientes/clientes-internacionais
Lusiadas: https://www.lusiadas.pt/pt/sobrelusiadas/Paginas/international.aspx
CUF: https://www.saudecuf.pt/internacional
There are also walk-in clinics. I haven’t visited one yet, but there are plenty throughout the city. I know that this is one of them: https://mimed.pt/marcacao-de-consulta
I hope this helps and that you feel better soon.
Blanca
PS – most pharmacies have someone who speak English…so that may be another option for you 🙂