Treatment abroad: Portugal 

Portugal, known for its picturesque landscapes and rich cultural heritage, is emerging as a popular destination for medical tourism, offering top-notch healthcare services in fields such as cardiology, orthopaedics, and dermatology.

Portugal is often overshadowed by its larger neighbour Spain but it is a beautiful country with distinctive character of its own. Historic cities, magnificent beaches and a fine climate all make this a perfect holiday destination and, as a relative newcomer to the field of medical tourism, Portugal offers a combination of western European standards with keen prices.

Why consider Portugal?

For most people, the draw of Portugal is the year round sunshine in the south, especially in the Algarve region. Temperatures average 18C across the year, with warm dry winters and long hot summers with temperatures rarely dropping below the high twenties.

Miles of pristine white sandy beaches, fascinating ancient sites and delicious seafood cuisine make Portugal the perfect destination for a traditional holiday break. Portugal is convenient for other countries in Europe and is accessible for medical tourists from further afield via sea or air.

Portugal offers a modern, western way of life, with excellent infrastructure and clean, well equipped clinics with highly trained staff. Portugal is also excellent value in terms of living expenses and treatment costs. Even in the major cities, Portugal is one of the most affordable countries in Europe, with dinner from under €15 and local metro rail travel from just €0.85. This great value extends to private medical care, cosmetic dentistry and cosmetic surgery too. Portugal’s private clinics offer a much wider range of services than other healthcare tourism destinations, extending beyond cosmetic procedures to include routine surgery too.

Choose Portugal for your medical tourism and you can tailor your trip to perfection, whether you want to simply relax and soak up the sun, or enjoy a round or two on some of Europe’s finest golf courses. If you have more time and feel like it, you can make a true road trip out of your visit, taking in the idyllic villages or Portugal’s rural interior. Plan the right route and you can enjoy some of the world’s finest wines at Portugal’s many vineyards along the way, as well as visiting the home of port in the Douro Valley.

Reasons to choose Portugal

Top standards of healthcare at low prices

Year round sunshine with long hot summers

Wider range of services than other destinations

Experienced tourist destination with excellent facilities

Miles of coasts and unspoilt beaches

Internationally known for its golf courses

The healthcare system in Portugal

Portuguese health care consists of three parallel systems: the Servi’o Nacional de Sa’de (SNS) or national health service, special social health insurance and voluntary private health insurance. The SNS offers free treatment for all citizens and holders of European Health Insurance Cards.

Portugal spends around 10% of GDP on healthcare and men and women have a high life expectancy. The number of hospital beds per 1000 people is broadly comparable with elsewhere in Europe but Portugal tends to have more physicians per head of population that most EU member states. As you would expect from a modern western European country, Portugal offers a wide choice of clean, modern hospitals and clinics, containing the latest technology and equipment and staffed by highly trained doctors, surgeons and nurses.

Most private doctors and surgeons in Portugal also work for the SNS, with purely private practice the exception to the rule. However, this is changing with the growth of healthcare tourism with many doctors and surgeons setting up exclusively private practices in tourist areas.

Portugal offers the medical tourist one of the widest ranges of treatments of any destination, offering standard medical and surgical procedures alongside the traditional range of cosmetic and elective treatments. Cosmetic dental tourism is also rapidly growing in the country, with a large number of dental clinics springing up in and around both the major cities and the main seaside tourist centres.

Medical and dental tourism to Portugal has many advantages, and although the prices may not be as low as those you might find in other destinations such as Eastern Europe or Asia, the quality of facilities, the pleasant environment and the overall affordability of a Portuguese holiday more than compensate.

Portugal has positioned itself as a centre of excellence in healthcare, especially in the areas of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, making it an ideal destination for the healthcare tourist who values quality above cost and expects the highest standards without compromise.

Transport and accommodation in Portugal

Getting to Portugal couldn’t be easier: Portugal’s westerly position makes Lisbon a key hub for many trans-continental airlines, attracting many extra flights each day.

Driving in Portugal is simple, with a network of roads and modern motorways, many of which are less than twenty years old. But be warned, drivers are expected to carry all their relevant papers with them, with on the spot fines for those who don’t.

Public transport in Portugal is both efficient and excellent value, with a single fare on the swift and sophisticated Alfa Pendular trains from Faro to Lisbon just €24 first class or €18 standard. Both Lisbon and Porto have extensive underground metro systems, with a single journey on the Lisbon Metro costing just €0.85 and an unlimited monthly pass just €18.70. Lisbon also has a traditional tram network that has ferried residents and tourists around the streets of the city for over a hundred years.

Accommodation in Portugal is exactly what you would expect from a leading tourist destination, with a huge selection of hotels across the star grades in the main resorts. Away from the tourist centres, unusual accommodation can be found in historic manor houses and baronial strongholds, giving you a real taste of the history and heritage that Portugal is so rightly proud of.

For a real experience, you can book to stay in one of the vineyard hotels in the Douro Valley, seeing the winemaking process first hand and enjoying the fruits of their labours fresh from the barrel.

About Portugal

Portugal claims to be the oldest established nation state in Europe, and it certainly boasts a rich history. In the 15th and 16th century, Portugal established the first global empire, stretching from staging posts in Africa to unknown territories in Asia and South America, with legendary figures such as Vasco da Gama busy exploring and exploiting new trade routes. Even today, Portuguese is still the official language is countries as diverse as Brazil, Angola and East Timor.

This rich history has left a powerful legacy of medieval castles and magnificent ancient cities, including World Heritage Sites at Evora, Batalha and Alcobaa, and the historic university town of Coimbra. Even in the modern cities of Lisbon and Porto, classic cathedrals and traditional architecture still stand testament to Portugal’s proud past.

These days, explorers coming to Portugal are more likely to be looking for sensational sun, beaches, wines and seafood. And they are not disappointed. From the lush Douro Valley, home of mile after mile of verdant vineyards, to the relaxed rural Alentejo region with its maana way of life, to the non-stop fun of the Algarve, with its 150 km of beaches and year round sun, Portugal has something for everyone.

Portugal’s three major cities, Oporto in the North, the capital Lisbon in the centre and Faro on the southern Algarve each have their individual charm and offer good living at very reasonable prices. Sitting in the sunshine at a caf on one of Lisbon’s quaint cobbled side streets, enjoying a bottle of wine, surrounded by ancient architecture that echoes with history and heritage, it’s hard not to want to stay forever.

Of course, life isn’t always so laid back. In true Iberian tradition, Portugal loves to party, and it is well worth timing your visit to coincide with one of the many festivals, such as carnival in early spring or Holy Week leading up to Easter. Not only will you see this splendid country at its colourful best, but you will also avoid the tourist crowds and very hot temperatures often found in the summer season.

Britons have been flocking to Portugal in their millions for many years now and as the country also offers medical tourism to the very highest standards; this is becoming a reason for many more of us to combine cosmetic surgery, a hip replacement or even some cosmetic dentistry with a relaxed and refreshing holiday break.