Mobile Boosters and Army Infirmaries: Portugal’s Plan to Ease Holiday ER Strain

A familiar face from Portugal’s vaccination drive is back on the front page. Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo warns that the country’s health-care system is heading into a turbulent holiday stretch and says the government must be ready to deploy “every available tool” to keep hospitals functioning.

What is at stake

• Seasonal viruses are approaching an early peak while COVID-19 continues to circulate.

• Emergency rooms in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra already report bed-occupancy rates above 90%.

• The Health Ministry is weighing temporary measures that range from military medical support to extended primary-care hours.

• Officials fear that without swift action, the first weeks of 2026 could bring the worst service delays since the 2022 Omicron wave.

The admiral’s return to the public spotlight

Gouveia e Melo, who steered Portugal’s record-setting vaccination campaign in 2021, spoke Tuesday evening after a closed-door meeting at the Navy’s Alfeite base. Now serving as State Secretary for Strategic Health Planning, he told reporters that “pre-emptive mobilisation is cheaper than crisis management” and urged regional authorities to activate their contingency plans before New Year’s Eve.

In practice, that means:

• redirecting non-urgent surgery bookings to mid-February;

• granting overtime budgets that allow family-health units to operate until 22:00;

• reinstating the 2023 protocol that lets the Armed Forces dispatch field infirmaries to overcrowded emergency rooms.

Why Christmas week matters so much

Portugal’s holiday travel patterns concentrate the population along the coast while emptying inland districts. That creates two simultaneous pressures: urban hospitals overflow, and smaller facilities lose staff to scheduled leave.

Older residents—21% of the population is now over 65—face a triple threat of flu, RSV and the latest COVID sub-variant. According to the National Institute of Health (INSA), influenza-like illness is already running 35% higher than the same period last year. “If the trend holds, we hit the ceiling in roughly three weeks,” said INSA epidemiologist Ana Paula Rodrigues.

How the government plans to respond

The Health Ministry is expected to unveil a winter-surge decree on Friday. Draft language seen by Público outlines four pillars:

Boosters on wheels – 60 mobile vaccination units will tour shopping centres and parish halls from 26 December onward.

Fast-track tele-consultations – Family doctors can issue digital sick notes and antivirals within fifteen minutes.

Pharmacy flu shots reimbursed at 100% for people over 60.

Green corridor for paediatric emergencies, redirecting mild cases to dedicated clinics and freeing intensive-care beds.

Political temperature around the plan

Opposition MPs from PSD and Chega back the emergency posture but accuse Prime Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva’s cabinet of reacting late. Socialist allies counter that Portugal still holds Europe’s third-highest vaccination coverage, crediting the admiral’s data-driven logistics.

Health-sector unions are more sceptical. Ana Rita Cavaco of the Nurses’ Order says over-reliance on overtime risks burnout: “We need structural hiring, not seasonal patches.” Meanwhile, private-hospital group Luz Saúde has offered to take 1,200 elective procedures off the public waiting list if the state covers half the cost.

What this means for everyday residents

For most families, the advice is straightforward but urgent:

• Book booster shots before 15 January.

• Use digital triage apps (SNS 24) before heading to an ER.

• Keep chronic-disease prescriptions current to avoid last-minute renewals.

Failing that, the admiral warns, Portugal could witness “a wave that erodes the public’s hard-won confidence in the SNS.” His parting words: “We beat tougher odds in 2021. We can do it again—if we act before the beds are full.”