Healthcare
Braga has public and private hospitals, private clinics of various medical specialities and a national health system with family health units that provides medical coverage to the entire population and region.
Consult the User's Guide
As a resident in Portugal, to access the SNS you need to have a user’s number.
This number can be obtained at your local health centre or at a Loja do Cidadão/Citizen Shop. You will need to present proof of residence in Portugal.
If you are a European Union, European Economic Area or Swiss citizen, you should request an S1 document/form in your country of origin. This form entitles you to health care in Portugal, even if you are covered by a social security system in another European Union or European Economic Area country or Switzerland. This document should be handed in at your local Social Security District Centre (CDSS). You will be given a copy, which you should take to your health centre and request your user’s number. Regardless of whether you are a resident or just passing through the country, this will give you access to the SNS.
If you are a Brazilian citizen and you are only in Portugal for a short time, you are entitled to use the SNS. All you need is a Certificate of Right to Medical Assistance – CDAM (or P4), issued by the Brazilian Health Ministry. This certificate is free and gives Brazilian citizens the same rights to public health care as Portuguese citizens, and vice versa. If you live legally in Portugal and you are over 18, you can also request the Equal Rights and Duties Statute (Equality Statute between Brazil and Portugal), which gives you access to the SNS.
The SNS has a small cost: user fees. A regular doctor’s appointment costs €4,50. A specialist appointment costs €7 and an emergency appointment costs €18.
However, some people are exempt of these fees/charges, such as people under 18, unemployed people or people with a degree of disability above 60%, for instance.
Among others of recognized quality