Hospital Geral de Santo António

I came as a foreign student in Porto to the hospital, because of some skin disorder and I suspected the worst. After I was waiting for 6 hours (people were coming and going), I couldn't take it anymore and I went to see the doctors in their department where patients don't go unless they are called for. To make a long story short, the explanation of the young female doctor was ''Yes, you have a green armband, it means that it's not so urgent and you probably will have to wait until morning.'' That was at midnight and I was there from 6 PM. I explained how I came before all of those people and no, they just didn't wanna let go. Then she said ''and by the way, if it is the worst thing, you won't die in a day or two.'' The thing she forgot is that those things can spread through blood and sometimes days are highly significant. But, that was the answer I got from a doctor after waiting for 6 hours, alone and scared without any family in the city of Porto. Terrible conditions, terrible system and terrible doctors. P.S. I am writing this immediately after, when I finally came home at 2 AM. Cheguei como estudante estrangeiro no Porto ao hospital, por causa de algum distúrbio de pele e suspeitei do pior. Depois que eu estava esperando por 6 horas (as pessoas estavam indo e vindo), eu não aguentava mais e fui ver os médicos em seu departamento onde os pacientes não vão, a menos que sejam solicitados. Para encurtar a história, a explicação da jovem médica era "Sim, você tem uma braçadeira verde, isso significa que não é tão urgente e você provavelmente terá que esperar até a manhã". Isso foi à meia-noite e eu estava lá a partir das 18:00. Eu expliquei como eu cheguei antes de todas aquelas pessoas e não, elas simplesmente não queriam deixar ir. Então ela disse "e, a propósito, se é a pior coisa, você não morrerá em um dia ou dois." A coisa que ela esqueceu é que essas coisas podem se espalhar pelo sangue e às vezes os dias são altamente significativos. Mas, essa foi a resposta que recebi de um médico depois de esperar 6 horas, sozinha e assustada sem família na cidade do Porto. Condições terríveis, sistema terrível e médicos terríveis. P.S. Estou escrevendo isso imediatamente depois, quando finalmente cheguei em casa às 2 da manhã.

I came in, because i couldn't get enough air in my lungs for several days, I caughed a lot and was really scared. They made multiple tests and gave me some medication. That's why I was able to wake up today, after my first night of uninterrupted sleep since quite some time, breathing normally. I am still a bit weak on my feet but wanted to take the time to thank them here. I probably should have gone there earlier but they really took their time and were really patient with my anxiety. Witnessing their kindness towards me, as well as other patients really touched me. They deal with a lot of stress but still find some moments to show you, that they really care and do all they can to help. And also: sure, it is likely that you have to wait for some hours before the doctors in the emergency room have time to look at you (for me it was around 3-4 with a yellow armband), but they don't take long to rate the level of emergency before that... And to be honest: if you were so sick, that you get the orange or red armband, you would also don't understand why someone whose treatment is less urgent gets a treatment before you do. For some people it can be about minutes and hours and i really had the feeling that they asked all the right questions to judge that...

I went there on a Wednesday morning after to being referred by a doctor for ear treatment during a short stay in Porto. Even though my case was not urgent, I was seen to and treated in under 30 mins - probably because I was seeing an Otologist. If you're going for generalist treatment, might be best to turn up early to avoid long waits. ID and EHIC (if you have one) needed.

I had a bad neck pain so I went to the emergency which costed me more than 100 euro. But the doctor prescribed me some terrible medicine making me vomit the whole night and having nausea and headache. I used it twice and I vomitted two nights and thought I would die because of it. I searched it and it is said in Google that cannot be given to people who never used this kinda staff before, it would cause serious side effectseffects. I can't believe google is more trustful than a doctor this time. Daaaamn.

I went into the accident and emergency department after badly spraining my ankle. From reception to triage to orthopedics to radiography, everyone I encountered was friendly and helpful and spoke good English. Every time I sat down expecting a long wait, within minutes I was being called to the next stage. I had to pay €120 before I left, because my EHIC card had expired, so lesson learned! Very big thanks to everyone I encountered there.