SNS surgical waiting list reaches record 284,210 as operations fall 4.9%

Waiting list at its highest level

The surgical waiting list of Portugal's National Health Service (SNS) stood at 284,210 people at the end of July, the highest figure on record and the first time it has passed 280,000. The list grew about 2% in a single month and now holds some 16,000 more people than in July 2025, a rise of 5.8%. Of those waiting in July, 86,755 people, or 30.5%, had already passed the recommended waiting time, compared with 28.2% a year earlier, when 268,645 people were on the list. The figures come from the SNS Transparency Portal and were reported on Thursday, 29 October 2026.

July 2025268,645

July 2026284,210

July 2025

268645

July 2026

284210

Data from the article text

Fewer operations performed

Hospitals in the SNS carried out 461,648 scheduled surgeries in the first seven months of 2026, 4.9% fewer than in the same period of 2025, a gap that SIC put at about 24,000 operations. Público's reading of the data shows the decline has persisted since the start of the year and has not been reversed. Fewer operations have pushed the list up and increased the share of patients outside guaranteed response times. Earlier Portal figures cited by Público show 130,439 surgeries up to February 2026, 10,394 fewer (7.4%) than in February 2025. Observador found no sign that the trend is turning around. In August the Ordem dos Médicos had also raised concerns about the new national access system SINACC, citing errors and omissions that could affect guaranteed access and clinical priority.

Regional gaps

Between July 2025 and July 2026, the list grew in three of the country's five health regions. Alentejo recorded the steepest rise at 8.3%, followed by Lisbon and Tagus Valley at 8.1% and the North at 7.6%. The Centre region saw its list fall 2% over the year, while the Algarve barely moved, at minus 0.4%. Hospital administrators argue that the differences reflect how each hospital managed its additional surgical activity rather than demand alone.

Alentejo8.3%

Lisbon and Tagus Valley8.1%

North7.6%

Centre-2%

Algarve-0.4%

Alentejo

8.3 %

Lisbon and Tagus Valley

8.1 %

North

7.6 %

Centre

-2 %

Algarve

-0.4 %

Data from the article text

Causes and the political dispute

Hospital administrators acknowledge social cases and higher demand during respiratory infection peaks as contributing factors. They put more weight on the handling of extra surgical work. Xavier Barreto, president of the Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators, said some units halted that activity for several months while others kept it going. He also accused the government of failing to provide clear and timely instructions on how to respond. Barreto put the regional contrast this way:

“All hospitals feel this the same way, but some hospitals have reductions of 30% and others have increases of 10%.”

The health minister has denied that the SNS is failing and has described claims of lengthy delays as a myth. Joana Bordalo e Sá, vice-president of the National Federation of Doctors (FNAM), said the ministry had not acted to fix the problem and accused Minister Ana Paula Martins of being "missing from the map".

Patients waiting beyond recommended times

Carlos Cortes, head of the Ordem dos Médicos, called the waiting list figure too high and warned that the situation could worsen without investment in the SNS. He criticised what he called a lack of political will to correct the course, and said patients whose health is deteriorating bear the consequences. Cortes stressed the human cost behind the statistics:

“We cannot forget that these are not just numbers, they are patients who have health problems, who need surgery and who are suffering.”

The Ordem also said families face hardship while they wait for operations. In July, 86,755 patients had already passed the recommended time for surgery.

July 202528.2%

July 202630.5%

July 2025

28.2 %

July 2026

30.5 %

Data from the article text