Faro Hospital received the second highest number of customer complaints in the country last year, while the Barlavento Hospital in Portimão came in seventh on the list of patients dissatisfied with some aspect of heath provision.
The Amadora-Sintra Hospital topped the chart for State hospitals, with just over 2,100 complaints.
Among the private sector hospitals, the Hospital da Luz in Lisbon received 1,150 complaints, followed by CUF Descobertas and Lusiadias, both also in Lisbon.
The data comes from a 2017 report by the Health Regulatory Entity and shows a doubling of the number of complaints in the Algarve.
Nationally, complaints were up 18% but in the Algarve, there was an increase of 103%, with no other region registering anywhere near this figure.
Faro Hospital logged 1,940 complaints, 1,117 more than in the year, a 142% increase.
The Health Center in Portimão led the country in the number of complaints for this type of sercice with Albufeira and Faro health centres also in the national Top 10.
Algarve MP, Cristóvão Norte commented that the problem is a lack of human resources and a poor organisational strategy, “Year after year the problem worsens."
“The Government has to look at these numbers as a cry of pain and despair, of legitimate frustration of those who feel that access to health only exists in theory. The government must have a plan to combat this decline," claims the opposition MP, adding that users, “are, in essence, giving expression to what the numbers show: fewer specialist consultations, greater morbidity and rehospitalisation, emergency admissions in degrading conditions, less clinical output and worse care.”
MPs Cristóvão Norte and José Carlos Barros officially have demanded to know the Minister of Health’s plans to resolves these issues.
