Clínica Espirito Santo

"Came here because of food poisoning and I had been non stop puking for like 7 hours. Waited for 6 hours and still no calls from the nurses or doctors. All the staffs were really rude. Also the emergency classification mechanism was unclear and ambiguous. Other ppl with similar symptoms to me were classified as emergency while I wasn’t. Can’t help thinking if that’s because I’m not a Portuguese so they didn’t prioritize my case. Please don’t come to this hospital."

"This hospital is one of the worst hospitals in Europe , I came with a heart patient and it’s been 6 hours waiting time still no called from doctors or nurses . They are calling Portuguese peoples rather than other patient where our token was 179 then there is 40 other patients are getting medicine because they are Portuguese and we are not !!! I would strongly not recommend this Hospital !! They don’t deserve anything from patients!! Worst hospital with worst staffs"

"I stepped in a hole in a cobblestone street and twisted my ankle badly. I went to the hospital for an x-ray to see if anything broke. Hospital visits are never fun, but the service I received was fine. The most confusing part was the first step. We walked into the waiting area and didn’t know what to do. Someone finally pointed us to a machine that gives you a ticket with a number that is your identifier for your entire visit. From there it was as you would expect: a short wait to get registered, a longer wait for an initial assessment by a nurse, a 30 minute wait to get x-rayed then a 20 minute wait to speak with the doctor. The bill was 112 euros, which they told me in the first step. Everyone spoke English. Even other patients were helpful at times. I was in and out in 3 hours with a pain prescription and “doctors orders”. All in all, a satisfactory experience."

"Well, I guess things have improved remarkably. I went late, Emergency, 8pm or so, waited maybe an hour, and within the next two hours both saw a (very young) doctor (he misunderstood initially but it was easy to explain, yes, in English) and had a basic blood test done (the assistant was inexperienced, but she managed). As it was past ten, I had to wait a lot (fewer doctors, and I was green-listed = not urgent. But at around 3am I saw a competent doctor who solved the problem AND warned me about my kidneys—that I had been neglecting. Excellent!"

"We arrived at this public hospital after my friend suffered a head injury and arrived by ambulance. The medical team performed a CT scan, which we appreciate, but the overall experience was extremely disappointing. For more than 3.5 hours, every time we asked nurses or staff for information, the only answer we received was: “We don’t know, you have to wait.” No updates, no guidance, and no basic communication about what was happening or how long it might take. Sitting in an emergency department with a person who has an open head wound and receiving zero clarity creates unnecessary stress for patients and families. The doctor finally assessed the wound much later to decide if stitches were needed, but the lack of organization and communication throughout the process felt careless and unprofessional. I understand that public hospitals are busy and triage is necessary, but basic communication and empathy should never be optional. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and improves how staff communicate with patients during long waits."