The General Inspectorate of Health Activities (IGAS) began an audit in March of this year on the assistance provided to non-resident foreigners in the emergency services at the São José Local Health Unit. The report was sent to the office of the Minister of Health on October 30 and is currently undergoing approval.

According to the report, a total of 27,703 people were treated in the emergency services during the period 2023-2024, corresponding to 31,803 episodes. The growth rate of people assisted was 16.5%, says IGAS, noting that about half of these people were covered by bilateral agreements that provide protection in case of illness.

In 2023, 14,513 emergency episodes were registered, and in 2024, 14,513, a 19.1% increase.

Births

The report shows a 126% increase in the number of births to non-resident foreign women from 2023 to 2024, compared to the 17.3% increase recorded for all users of the obstetrics and gynaecology emergency service.

These patients accounted for about 21.3% of the total increase in episodes involving childbirth. "Although they constitute a minority of the total users, they contributed to the overall growth," the conclusions of the IGAS report requested by the Lusa news agency point out.

According to the document, reported by the newspaper Público, the relative weight of non-resident foreign patients has almost doubled, rising from 2.9% to 5.6% of the total number of childbirth episodes resulting from emergency room admissions.

"This evolution indicates not only an absolute increase, but also a faster growth rate than that of the overall population served," it emphasizes.

IGAS compiled a "Top 5" ranking of the most represented regions in terms of the number of episodes, revealing that in 2023, 39.1% corresponded to people from South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela) and Western Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Switzerland), with a decrease to 37.7% in 2024.

In general, multipurpose and paediatric emergency services, the South American and Western European regions occupied the top two spots in both years.

In obstetrics and gynaecology emergency services, the South Asian region (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) ranked first in both years.

Paediatric care

In 2024, the South Asian region ranked 5th in paediatric emergency care, according to IGAS, which notes that this region has a lower representation in general multipurpose and paediatric emergency services.

It explains that the "less significant" demand for paediatric emergency care from citizens of South Asia, as opposed to obstetrics and gynaecology emergencies, is due to the fact that, according to the rules for granting Portuguese nationality, babies born to mothers from this region are Portuguese citizens and are therefore not included in the scope of the audit.

In this two-year period, the people treated in the general multipurpose emergency service who were not residents of Portugal were mostly from Brazil, France, the United States of America, and Germany.

In the paediatric emergency service, the most represented countries were Brazil, France, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, and Spain.

In the obstetrics and gynaecology emergency room, in addition to the recurring cases of Brazil, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Angola, Bangladesh also appeared in common over both years.

Bangladesh ranked second in obstetrics and gynaecology in both 2023 and 2024, but in paediatric emergency services, it appeared in 11th place in both years.

Brazil stood out as the most represented country in all three emergency services, remaining in first place overall.

“Illness”

The reason for visits was "illness," which led the most non-resident foreign users to general multipurpose and paediatric emergency services (over 70%).

The reason for visits was "personal accident/fall," with approximately 12% in 2023 and 10% in 2024 in general multipurpose emergency services and around 6% in 2023 and 2024 in paediatric emergency services.

In obstetrics and gynaecology emergencies, the reason for visits was "pregnant women and women in labour," showing a significant difference compared to the second most common reason, "illness," with 68% in 2023 and 83% in 2024. 2024.

The IGAS audit covers the 39 Local Health Units (ULS) and stemmed from a report released in December 2024, not integrated into a fiscal action, which found that more than 102,000 people not residing in the country were treated in SUS emergency rooms in 2023 and approximately 92,000 between January and September 2024.