The Armed Forces Hospital receives patients to relieve pressure on the National Health Service

This decision follows a protocol implemented with the Northern Regional Health Department to activate the emergency plan for extreme temperatures.

Depending on the information RTP has access to, The first contacts with the armed forces were made on Wednesday by the hospitals of Fernando da Fonseca, Beatriz Angelo and García da Orta..In addition to the protocol with ARS Norte, another protocol was signed with the Regional Health Department of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo.

“In accordance with the SNS emergency plan, this dimension of cooperation between public, civil and military institutions and agencies has been activated, strengthening the health care of the population,” said Francisco Guerrero, director of the Armed Forces Hospital, in a joint statement. NHS Executive Director, Fernando Araujo.

The document also states that the Armed Forces Hospital, “although not integrated into the network of institutions and services of the National Health Service (SNS), It is a public sector military hospital institutionwhich forms a rear element of the military health system to support operational health, and is directly dependent on the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMGFA) and Which, among other duties, promote cooperation and expression with the SNS“.

“In this sense, following a protocol regarding the Emergency Plan for Extreme Adverse Temperatures, DE-SNS and HFAR are cooperating with the aim of supporting the provision of healthcare to SNS users, increasing the offer of care in the period of high flow of SNS inpatient services,” the statement said.

The decision comes at a time Many hospitals in Lisbon saw emergency services fullWaiting times sometimes exceed ten hours.

Early on Friday morning, at the Fernando Fonseca Hospital – which will now transfer patients to the Hospital das Forcas Armadas – the situation became more complicated again in terms of the average waiting time for patients considered urgent.

Emergency pressure It's got to get worse this weekend. In addition to the expected large influx of users, half of the services will suffer failure in several areas.