madeira4u Health & Healthcare Services on Madeira - Doctor, Dentist, Optician, Pharmacy, Hospitals

madeira4u - Resources & Information - Health & Health Care & Services on Madeira (doctors, dentists etc.)

Resources & Information - Health & Health Care & Services on Madeira

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THE MAIN HOSPITAL IN FUNCHAL

Use the side bar menu to find your category, or
use the search box. If you want to find a doctor on
Madeira just type in DOCTOR MADEIRA

Health Care On Madeira

Qualifications For Free Health Care Under The Portuguese Health Service
If you are resident on Madeira, you are entitled to make use of the health service and enjoy the
same benefits & standards of health care as a portuguese citizen with doctors & health centres.
However, in order to obtain residency it has been necessary in the past to demonstrate that you
already have medical protection in this respect, but you will be told this when you apply for
residency at the Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras in the Loja da Cidadão, in Funchal. If you
use the website link above, you can click a button to see the english language version.

Once you have residency, any need for health and medical insurance becomes optional, as you
can then apply for your medical registration and 'health card'. Depending on your working
circumstances, you may also need to show that you are registered with your local social security
office (Segurança Social) and pay national insurance contributions.

There are cases where applicants have gone to their local health centre and been issued a
'health card' showing no more than their passport, and have seen a doctor that same day.

Anyway, however you manage it you will end up with a card called the 'Cartão De Utente', which
will hold medical information about you on its magnetic strip. Once you have registered you are
covered ( you may be issued with a temporary document), and you can then seek help or
treatment from registered doctors at any of the health centres or hospitals on Madeira. The card
will also entitle the owner to discounts on prescription medicines.

If you are unable to obtain the registration, particularly if you are waiting for your residency
permit, then you will need to have a medical insurance policy to cover you. As a traveller, you can
use the European Health Insurance card (formerly the E111) obtained in your own county, or use
your travel insurance policy to deal with any emergencies, and in addition, some countries like
the UK have reciprocal agreements with Portugal for assistance and treatment of each others
citizens. This will cover any emergency treatments in health centres and hospitals.

Health Care Standards
Unless there is something to compare with, it's hard to make comparisons, but feedback from
people who have used the Portuguese health service has been pretty positive in all respects. Of
course each hospital or health centre has good days and bad days, but the bad days are
apparently few and far between, and it is fair to say that Madeira provides a very satisfactory
medical service, that would compare well with the top european countries.

However, Madeira is a small island, and health problems of very specialised natures may not be
familiar to the doctors here, or they may not have the equipment, hospitals or facilities to deal
with particular specialist problems.

Of course some things are done differently than elsewhere, and their have been comments about
food, hygiene, and lack of privacy. If you have any different experiences or comments to make on
the matter, please email them to feedback@madeira4u.com, and this article will be updated.

How The Health System Functions
The hospitals on the island are located in Funchal, but major towns have their own Health Care
facilities, and even some smaller towns have some facilities, known as the 'Centro de Saude'.
You can find details of most of these in the section 'Emergencies', on this website.

The health centre, depending on the size, will have a number of medical staff (médico/a = doctor,
and enfermeiro/a = nurse). If you are making a routine visit, or are well enough to travel yourself,
then you should go to your nearest 'Centro de Saúde' and report to the reception (if there is one),
needing only to take your 'Cartão de Utente'. If you don't have one, take your European Health
Insurance Card, or your health insurance policy, and also your passport (and Residency Permit if
you have one). If you don't have any protection, it is likely you will have to pay for any treatment.

You will need to wait until a doctor is available to see you, and if he cannot treat you, then it may
be that you will be referred to a hospital. Most doctors speak english very well, so a good
dialogue should be possible. The doctor may give you a prescription to obtain medicine, which
you will need to take to a chemist. If you need a repeat prescription, ask the receptionist at the
'Centro de Saúde', if possible show a copy of the previous certificate.

In the larger 'Centro de Saude', you will find facilities to deal with accidents and emergencies as
well as the more routine problems and illnesses, and doctors will be available for longer hours.

Private Medical Insurance
If you don't have the entitlement to use the Portuguese Health Service free then you need to
ensure you have one of the other forms of protection previously mentioned. If private medical
insurance is the only option open to you, for example as a non EU citizen, then you may find
details of suppliers in the Products & Services section of this website under the Insurance
category or in the Professional Services category.

Private Doctors
Private Doctors and Specialists are plentiful on Madeira with over two whole pages in the yellow
pages in the telephone directory under 'Médicos'. You may also find some doctors & practices
advertising on this website under Professional Services or Health Care. You should enquire about
the cost before you agree to have treatment done.

Ambulances
You should dial 112 if you need an ambulance in an emergency, or find a listed number here
bearing in mind you may be talking to the fire brigade, who provide ambulance services.
Ambulance journeys can be chargeable, so if you can find your own way it may be quicker and
cheaper.

Dentists
Dental care falls outside of the Portuguese health system, so you will always need to consult a
private dentist, and their services are not cheap, a fact supported by the fact that a great many
Madeirans never go to the dentist, or only in the event of an emergency. You should ask the
dentist about the cost before you agree to have treatment done.

You may find dentists advertising on this website under Products & Services Dentists & Dental
Care or Professional Services.

You will also find over 30 dentists in the yellow pages of the telephone directory listed under
'Médicos - Dentistas'.

Opticians & Eye Care
Opticians are plentiful on the island, with a shop or more in most large towns. You need to pay for
everything, as they operate outside the Portuguese health system. You will probably find them
very helpful if you need a screw replacing in your glasses, but if you need to buy new glasses
then you might find them comparatively expensive against prices in other countries. It is possible
to have an eye test and then use the prescription to order glasses on the internet or use the
same prescription in another country. Likewise, it is possible to see an optician in another
country to obtain a prescription and use it on Madeira.

You may find opticians advertising on this website under Products & Services Opticians & Eye
Care, or under Professional Services.

You will also find over 20 opticians in the yellow pages of the telephone directory listed under
'Oculistas' and several opticians advertise in the daily paper 'The Diário'.

Chemists / Pharmacies
Chemists / Pharmacies are well represented across the island, with around 100 listed in the
yellow pages and a presence in most towns, the shops with the green cross outside. If you have
a minor ailment or just need some advice, your local 'farmácia' may well be a good port of call, as
the staff are well trained and helpful, and are able to recognise most medicinal products you may
be familiar with. Chemists / pharmacies also carry large stocks of non prescription items.

Many chemists / pharmacies open in the evening, some until late at night, and there are even 24
hour chemists / pharmacies, so it's worth checking the following resources to find further
information Emergencies & Advertising Chemists and the yellow pages directory or on-line.

USE THE KEYWORDS 'MÉDICO' ETC &
'MADEIRA' OR THE NAME OF THE
TOWN YOU ARE STAYING IN OR NEAR

YELLOW PAGES

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'ORDEM DOS MÉDICOS'

This is the governing body covering
doctors and medical facilities and
specialists. You can contact them if you
have a complaint about medical personnel,
services and facilities on Madeira.

Complaints about public health institutions,
including hospitals and health centres
should be directed to the regional health
administration office.

The familiar chemist / pharmacy sign

Madeira Ambulances look like this ...

Opticians are plentiful on Madeira ...

Chemists / Pharmacies are in all the main towns

Use this page to find out about
hospitals, doctors, health
centres, opticians, & chemists /
pharmacies on Madeira

COMPLAINTS ABOUT HEALTH CARE

Did you know, you can now access an online
complaints book, instead of asking for the
'Livro de Reclamacões', go to:

Health Care Complaints Book Online

At this stage, this is only for complaints on
matters of health care, but the principle is
good, and hopefully it will extend to other
areas of business. It's certainly a lot easier
than doing this in the environment where the
complaint was incurred. The form is in
Portuguese, but is not too hard to understand.