EMR

If I was as unhappy as some of you seem I would be back in tbe UK as quickly as I could arrange it.
Why be miserable in the sun.

OnecalledBob

You really are priceless!!
I, for one, have no desire to return to the UK, nor have I ever indicated that I am unhappy here. I am however realistic, I see things as they really are and not with your blind adoration. Do you honestly believe Portuguese expats in the UK, or anywhere else for that matter, don't find something that they dislike about the country they have settled in?

EMR

Its the expectation that I come across in many expats that all transactions with officialdom etc should be in English and thngs done the English way.
They seem to have forgotten that they are not in the UK.

We may be the exception in that apart from a few close friends we have little to do with other expats, we heard enough negative comments from them in our early days .

OnecalledBob

You are contradicting yourself, you say you come across many who expect everything to be done the English way, yet you go on to say you have little to do with other expats.
It is true that there will always be a minority of people would like Portugal to be a 'Little Britain', but it is ridiculous to expect that anyone who emigrates to Portugal or any other country does not at some time have anything negative to say about their experiences. I maintain that your opinion would change if you were indeed a true expat and not just here on holiday, albeit for several months of the year.

EMR

Hardly on holiday, I work .
As for your reference to lack of contact with other epats, you only have you visit any official
office, edp,aguas,many shops to see the expectation from some that English will be spoken.

Ingles

EMR :- You do disappoint me -
As your the expert in every thing to do with PT !
I made a deliberate mistake in the spelling above & you obviously don't say thanks when you order your alcohol.

GeniB

You sound as though you have had rather a bad time of it Bob! Sorry to hear that ,but i must agree with EMR .i have used Sao Goncalo ,Alvor, and Faro Hospital and although there has been naturally an initial consultation in Portuguese(my struggling wildly) a polite request to continue in English has always been successful You must have been incredible unlucky. i guess you haven't lived here very long perhaps? Must have made things more difficult for you

GeniB

Normal practice Ukk

liveaboard

Sorry to interrupt the mindless bickering...
I know a local guy who has been an EMT / firefighter for 7 years. So I asked him about this subject [the original topic, not the bickering].
He told me that it is mainly a funding issue; the public health service is billed by IMEM for each journey. It is possible to take a patient to a private hospital if requested, subject to approval from the dispatch center. So if the patient or family pledges payment [which may or may not be refunded by their insurance], dispatch might approve.
But he also pointed out that most private hospitals do not receive many emergency trauma cases, and don't have a surgical team standing by.
So in case of a serious life threatening emergency, it's quite likely that the best chance you have is at one of the public hospitals.
The EMT's are talking to dispatch and the hospital as it all goes down, so it seems to me that in an emergency you'd be best to tell them you have private insurance and you will pay the ambulance if necessary, but let them figure out where best to take you, depending on distance as well as the preparedness of the facilities available. They do this every day.

GeniB

WHOAH GUYS !! where on earth did all this aggression come from?

Ukk simple wanted a little support here.not to hear you sounding off at each other

Have to say Bob.You kind of dropped me in it there. From your post I assumed you were a newbie.not a long term resident who speaks fluent Portuguese.Why did you post?Do you really find all those hospitals wanting? and the Portuguese system that bad?
Plus I know it's petty,but as it's the order of the day on this post. Ingles You misspelled 'trends' on your post to EMR
This sort of thing really puts people off posting genuine questions.Please stop

OnecalledBob

Really am confused by your comments. Firstly I have never suggested I am a newbie, as you call it, GeniB. I said I spoke Portuguese, never mentioned fluency, but I manage. I was merely making the point that not all the doctors in the Algarve speak English as EMR was suggesting. I have found the system in the Algarve lacking in terms of quality of care, sorry to say.

EMR

I am hardly an expert as I doubt anyone is not even tbe Portuguese who seem to get as frustrated as Expats but who are used to how things work.
We Brits are not used to 30 /40 min waits in a post office or a couple of hours at the local camara only to be told that you do not have the right paperwork.
But there is little point complaining about it because it is not going to change, certainly not in our lifetimes..

Ingles

To EVERY body who has posted on this thread.

As usual thing's jog along nicely , fair questions ,and some sensible replies !
Then a certain "poster" arrives , bucket in one hand shovel in the other & starts flipping -hit all over the thread !

We all know who this is & there confrontational attitude seems never to change !
Nearly every thread this %?$" post on ends up being shambles ,just like this
one.

EMR

Theree is a solution to you dilema, if you do not like the responses to your posts ,the answer is obvious.
Some think that forums are not just forsharing experiences and obtainkng information but a vehicle for complaint and their own historical predjudices.

Fredbargate

However do you not think that being the only person in the world that is right is a frustrating lifestyle, hence the multitude of posts.