What This Service Covers
This consultation serves two closely related clinical needs:
Specialist Referral. A formal referral letter to the appropriate specialist, issued by a doctor registered with the Portuguese Medical Association, following clinical assessment — accepted by most private clinics and hospitals in Portugal.
Complementary Test Requests. A formal medical request for blood tests, urine tests, or imaging — required by most laboratories and imaging centres before they will process tests, even for private patients.
Not sure if you need a referral, a test request, or both? Book this consultation. Your doctor assesses your situation and advises on the most appropriate clinical pathway.
Specialist Referral — What's Included
Complete Clinical Assessment. Your doctor reviews your symptoms, clinical history, current medication, and any existing test results or clinical letters in detail — building a complete picture before any referral decision.
Clinical Determination of Referral Need. Based on the assessment, your doctor advises whether a specialist referral is clinically appropriate, which type of specialist is most relevant to your situation, and the urgency of that referral.
Formal Referral Letter. When a specialist referral is clinically indicated, your doctor issues a formal referral letter addressed to the appropriate specialist — accepted by most private clinics and hospitals in Portugal.
Navigation Support. For patients new to Portugal or unfamiliar with the Portuguese health system, your doctor clearly explains the referral pathway — including what to expect from the process in the private sector and what to bring to your specialist appointment.
Specialties Commonly Referred To
Our doctors can issue referrals to a range of specialties, including:
Medical Specialties
- Cardiology — heart and cardiovascular issues
- Endocrinology — diabetes, thyroid, and hormonal conditions
- Gastroenterology — digestive and bowel conditions
- Neurology — headaches, neurological symptoms, and movement disorders
- Pulmonology — respiratory and lung conditions
- Rheumatology — joint, bone, and autoimmune conditions
- Nephrology — kidney function and related conditions
- Haematology — blood disorders and related conditions
Surgical Specialties
- General surgery — abdominal issues, hernias, and surgical assessment
- Orthopaedics — bone, joint, and musculoskeletal conditions
- Urology — urinary tract and prostate conditions
- ENT (ear, nose and throat)
- Ophthalmology — eye and vision conditions
- Dermatology — skin conditions requiring specialist assessment
Women's and Men's Health
- Gynaecology — women's reproductive and hormonal health
- Obstetrics — pregnancy-related issues
- Andrology and urology — men's health and urological issues
Mental Health
- Psychiatry — complex mental health assessment and management
- Psychology — therapeutic support and referral for assessment
Other
- Physiotherapy and rehabilitation
- Nutrition and dietary assessment
- Pain management specialists
- Oncology — when an urgent referral is indicated due to suspected cancer pathology
If the specialty you need isn't listed, discuss your situation during the consultation. Your doctor advises on the most appropriate referral pathway.
Blood Test and Complementary Test Requests
Many complementary tests in Portugal require a formal medical request before a laboratory or imaging centre will process them — even for private patients. Our doctors can assess your situation and, when clinically indicated, issue a formal test request on the same day.
Blood and Urine Tests
Blood and urine tests requested through this service are coordinated directly with Synlab, our laboratory partner in Portugal — allowing you to schedule and complete your tests quickly and conveniently at any of their laboratories. Commonly requested tests include:
- Full blood count and metabolic panel
- Liver and kidney function
- Hormone profiles — thyroid, testosterone, oestrogen, cortisol
- Diabetes screening — HbA1c and fasting glucose
- Cholesterol and cardiovascular risk panel
- Inflammatory markers — CRP and ESR
- Vitamin and mineral levels — B12, vitamin D, iron, and ferritin
- STI screening panels
- Coeliac, autoimmune, and allergy panels
- Cancer markers, when clinically indicated
Imaging
Imaging requests can be carried out at any private centre of your choice in Portugal:
- X-ray — chest, musculoskeletal, and abdominal
- MRI — brain, spine, joints, and soft tissue
- CT scan — chest, abdomen, pelvis, and skull
- Ultrasound — abdominal, pelvic, soft tissue, and vascular
- Bone density scan
- Mammogram — when clinically indicated
Cardiac and Respiratory
- ECG request and interpretation
- 24-hour Holter monitor
- Spirometry
- Echocardiogram
Other Tests
- Allergy testing
- Sleep study
- Nerve conduction studies
Test requests are issued when clinically indicated, following a complete assessment. Your doctor advises on which tests are most appropriate for your situation and clinical history.
A Referral Isn't Mandatory in the Private Sector — But It's Still Useful
Unlike the NHS (SNS), where a referral from your family doctor is a formal requirement to access a specialist appointment, in the private sector in Portugal a referral is not, as a rule, a legal requirement.
In practice, however, most private clinics and hospitals ask for a referral letter as good clinical practice — because it gives the specialist context about your history and the reason for the appointment before they see you, and often speeds up the booking process and improves the quality of the first specialist consultation.
A well-founded referral can also help justify reimbursement from your health insurance, depending on your policy — it's worth checking with your insurer.
What This Service Does Not Cover
So you can decide with full transparency whether this is the right service for your needs:
- Referral to the NHS (SNS) is not possible through this service. Access to specialist appointments in the SNS depends on your assigned family doctor at the health centre in your area of residence
- If you don't have a family doctor assigned by the SNS, our Family and General Medicine Consultation can support you in managing your health, but it doesn't replace the SNS registration process for public referral purposes
Why Choose Our Care
Same-day referrals and test requests. When clinically indicated, referral letters and test requests are issued electronically on the same day as the consultation — so you can contact your chosen specialist or book your test immediately.
Direct partnership with Synlab. For blood and urine tests, direct coordination with Synlab simplifies the whole process — no need to search for where to have your tests done.
Doctors registered with the Portuguese Medical Association. All assessments and referrals are issued by doctors registered with the Portuguese Medical Association.
Results follow-up available. Received your results and not sure what they mean? You can book a follow-up consultation to review the findings and advise on next steps — ensuring continuity of care beyond the initial referral.
Multilingual. Consultations available in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Czech, and Romanian — particularly useful for international residents navigating the Portuguese private health system for the first time.
