Question 1

Are the doctors registered with the Ordem dos Médicos?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every doctor who consults through Global Health Portugal is registered with the Ordem dos Médicos, the professional body that regulates doctors in Portugal. Each appointment takes place over secure video with a licensed doctor, who assesses your situation before recommending any treatment, certificate or prescription. That registration means the same professional and ethical standards apply as they would in a face-to-face consultation. If you would like to verify a doctor's registration yourself, the Ordem dos Médicos publishes a public register you can check directly on its website before or after booking.

Question 2

How does Global Health relate to SNS24?

Accepted Answer

Global Health is a private service, separate from SNS24, Portugal's public health line and portal. We do not replace SNS24, and using our service does not stop you from also using the public system. Many patients use both, depending on the situation — SNS24 for free triage or public-system care, and Global Health when they want a faster private appointment at a time that suits them, without waiting on local health-centre availability. The choice is yours. For urgent symptoms or anything requiring immediate in-person assessment, SNS24 or the emergency services remain the right first call, not an online consultation.

Question 3

What if I need urgent care?

Accepted Answer

Global Health is not an emergency service, and our phone line is not set up to handle clinical emergencies. If you have severe symptoms — chest pain, breathing difficulty, heavy bleeding, or anything that feels life-threatening — call 112 immediately or go to your nearest hospital emergency department. An online consultation is well suited to non-urgent symptoms, prescription renewals, certificates and general medical advice, but it cannot replace an in-person emergency team. If you are ever unsure how serious a situation is, take the safer option and contact 112 rather than waiting for an online appointment.

Question 4

How do I book a consultation?

Accepted Answer

You can book directly on the website by choosing the type of consultation you need, such as a general medicine appointment, a specialist consultation or a medical certificate. After entering your details and the reason for the visit, you pick an available slot from the calendar and confirm payment. The price is always shown before you complete the booking, so you know exactly what you will pay. Once booked, you receive a confirmation with the video-call time and joining instructions, sent by email and also visible in your patient account.

Question 5

How long until I'm seen?

Accepted Answer

Waiting time depends on the type of consultation and doctor availability at the moment you book. The booking calendar only shows slots that are genuinely open, so the time you choose is the time you will actually be seen — there is no separate queue and no walk-ins jumping ahead of your slot. If your situation feels somewhat urgent but is not an emergency, look for the earliest same-day slot shown. If it is serious, do not wait for an online appointment at all: call 112 or go to your nearest emergency department instead.

Question 6

Can I book outside normal office hours?

Accepted Answer

The booking calendar always shows the slots genuinely available at that moment, which can include times outside typical office hours depending on which doctors are working that day. You never need to call or wait on hold to book — the whole process happens online, any time of day, even if the appointment itself can only take place at a later available slot. If nothing suitable shows up when you check, it is worth looking again later, since new slots are added and availability updates regularly throughout the day.

Question 7

What happens during an online consultation?

Accepted Answer

The consultation takes place over secure video, on your computer, tablet or phone, at the time you booked. The doctor starts by confirming your identity and the reason for the visit, then asks about your symptoms and relevant history, much as they would face to face. Depending on the assessment, you may receive advice, a prescription, a certificate, or a recommendation to seek in-person care where that is clinically appropriate. Afterwards, a summary of the consultation and any document issued is saved to your patient account, so you can find it again whenever you need it.

Question 8

Do I need to prepare anything beforehand?

Accepted Answer

It helps to have a list of any medication you currently take, including the dose, plus a short description of your symptoms and how long you have had them. If you have recent test results, scans or letters relevant to the reason for your visit, having them to hand gives the doctor more to work with. A stable internet connection and a quiet, private place for the call also make things easier. None of this is required — if you do not have this information ready, the doctor can still assess you based on what you describe.

Question 9

Do the doctors speak English?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Global Health Portugal consultations are available in both Portuguese and English, so you can choose whichever language you feel most comfortable describing your symptoms in. You can set your preference when booking, and it is passed to the doctor ahead of the call. Certificates and prescriptions still use the standard Portuguese medical terminology employers, pharmacies and other institutions in Portugal expect to see, regardless of which language the consultation itself was conducted in, so the documents remain recognisable and usable in the local system.

Question 10

Can I get a sick certificate (atestado / baixa médica)?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is one of the services available. If, after assessing you, the doctor judges it clinically appropriate, they issue a medical certificate of temporary incapacity for work — what is known locally as an atestado médico or baixa médica. Issuing a certificate is always a clinical decision made by the doctor who saw you, based on your assessment that day, never an automatic document. Any related sickness benefit is decided separately by Segurança Social under its own rules and timelines, so the certificate is the first step of the process, not a guarantee of the benefit itself.

Question 11

Do you issue driving-licence medical certificates?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is its own service, separate from a sick certificate, with a dedicated page where you can check the conditions before booking. Driving-licence certificates follow the requirements set by the IMT, which define what can be assessed remotely and under which circumstances. The doctor carries out the required assessment during the video call and, where applicable, issues the certificate on those terms. We recommend checking the service page before booking to confirm your situation — first licence, renewal or another case — is one the remote assessment actually covers.

Question 12

Can a doctor renew my usual prescription?

Accepted Answer

Yes, prescription renewal is one of the most common reasons patients book with us. In a renewal consultation, the doctor reviews the medication you are already taking, confirms it is still clinically appropriate, and issues a new prescription if so. It is never an automatic renewal — the doctor may ask for more information, suggest an adjustment, or recommend an in-person visit if the situation calls for it. For treatments that need regular monitoring, periodic blood tests or specialist input, the doctor will tell you what follow-up makes sense during the consultation itself.

Question 13

Will my employer or Segurança Social accept the certificate?

Accepted Answer

The certificate is issued by a doctor registered with the Ordem dos Médicos after a clinical assessment, and it carries the same legal standing as one issued in person. Individual employers can have their own procedures for reporting absence, so it is worth checking your company's process. Any sickness benefit is decided separately by Segurança Social, under its own rules and reporting deadlines, which you can confirm directly with them. Global Health has no role in that benefit decision — our part is limited to the clinical assessment and issuing the certificate itself.

Question 14

Is my medical data kept private and secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your health information is treated as sensitive clinical data, accessible only to the people involved in your care, and handled in line with the GDPR. Video consultations run over encrypted connections, and your consultation record is stored in your patient account rather than shared publicly or passed to third parties without your consent, except where the law requires it. It also helps to take a few precautions on your side — joining the call from a private space and keeping your account protected with a strong, unique password.

Question 15

Who can access my medical record?

Accepted Answer

Your medical record is accessible only to the doctor treating you and, where relevant, the team directly involved in managing your care, as part of normal clinical practice. We do not share your health data with employers, insurers or other third parties without your explicit consent, except where the law requires disclosure, such as certain public-health situations. You can review your consultation history, certificates and prescriptions at any time from your patient account, which acts as a single place to find these documents whenever you need them again.

Question 16

Can I ask for my data to be deleted?

Accepted Answer

Yes. As the data subject, you can request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data under the GDPR. Some clinical information may need to be kept for a minimum period because health records are subject to their own legal retention rules, even after a deletion request — where that applies, we explain the timeline and the reason for it. To exercise this right, you can contact us through the channels on our contact page, which also explains how to raise a complaint with the data protection authority if you are not satisfied.

Question 17

How much does a consultation cost?

Accepted Answer

The price for each type of consultation — general medicine, a specialist visit, or a certificate — is always shown before you confirm your booking, so you know exactly what you will pay before going ahead. Prices vary by consultation type and can change over time, which is why we show the current figure at the point of booking rather than publishing it here, where it could go out of date. If you want to check the price of a specific service before booking, you can see it on that service's page or ask us directly.

Question 18

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

Payment is taken online at the time of booking, through whichever methods are offered at checkout, typically a payment card. There is no need to pay by manual bank transfer or in cash at the time of the consultation. Once you have paid, you receive a receipt linked to your booking, also available afterwards in your patient account — useful, for example, if you want to claim the cost back from private health insurance, where your policy covers this kind of consultation. Always check the specific terms with your insurer before booking if that matters to you.

Questions, answered without the marketing speak.

Portugal FAQs

Are the doctors registered with the Ordem dos Médicos?

How does Global Health relate to SNS24?

What if I need urgent care?

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