Algarve Hospitals

In the cities of Faro, Lagos and Portimão there are general district hospitals (Hospital Distrital), where medical services are relatively cheap. Patients are expected to pay upfront in cash, and in many cases the staff does not speak English. Private hospitals (Hospital Particular) are operated in the major cities of the Algarve by the Grupo HPA de Saude, the Lusiadas Saúde and the Hospital de Loulé. They also have a number of clinics in other cities as well as in the large shopping centres. These institutions have a 24/7 emergency, accept credit cards and communication in English is no problem. As with all public service institutions, on entering the patient has to take a ticket from a machine, usually by the entrance, and wait for that number to be called.