Record 5.2M Calls Overwhelm SNS24, AI and Hires Slash Wait Times

Portugal’s national health hotline has never been so busy—nor so scrutinised. The SNS24 answered 5.2 million calls by November, a record that dwarfs past years, sent average waits soaring above eight minutes last spring and forced emergency hiring sprees. Authorities now insist the worst is behind them, but the episode has exposed structural cracks in the country’s digital front door to care.

What matters at a glance

• 74 % jump in calls versus 2024, pointing to heavier reliance on the hotline.

• Wait times peaked above 12 minutes in January; fell to 2.5 minutes by November.

• Nearly 1.6 million contacts may have gone unanswered in 2025.

• Expansion of services—direct GP booking, Ligue Antes, Salve Vidas—fuelled the surge.

• Altice hired 2 400 additional clinicians and faces €1.5 million in penalties for missed targets.

• Artificial intelligence triage, callback options and digital self-assessment are being rolled out to prevent a repeat.

The call-volume shockwave

Three years ago the hotline fielded roughly 1.5 million calls. In 2024 that figure doubled, and 2025 looks set to close near 7 million. Officials blame a cocktail of factors: post-pandemic reliance on remote care, an aggressive winter flu season and, above all, a strategy that channels more administrative tasks through the phone line. Allowing citizens to book primary-care slots directly through SNS24 alone accounted for almost half a million extra calls between January and May.

Waiting times: from red alert to amber

For many households the most tangible symptom of strain was the ring-tone that would not end. Average waits hit 496 seconds in the year’s first five months—five times longer than the same stretch of 2024. In isolated cases callers reported holds of up to 40 minutes. The summer proved especially grim, with the service’s attendance rate sliding to 70 %.

Concerted action has since trimmed the queue: by November, the average hold was back to 153 seconds and the attendance rate climbed to 93 %. The dedicated SNS Gravida line, set up for pregnant women, kept waits under 10 seconds throughout.

Why the phones ring more than ever

Several shifting pieces converged:

Service portfolio growth – New triage rules mean access to paediatric, obstetric and gynaecology emergency units often starts with a phone assessment.

Epidemiological pressure – The H3N2 influenza wave last winter filled surgeries and pushed patients toward remote advice.

Legacy capacity – The original contract with operator Altice assumed just 2.2 million annual calls, a fraction of current traffic.

Peaks and seasonality – Mondays and early evenings still generate spikes “well beyond staffing grids,” insiders admit.

The rescue plan

Faced with mounting criticism, the Health Ministry, SPMS and Altice unleashed a bundle of fixes:

• Mass recruitment – Between September and November 1 365 new staff joined; another 600 finish training this month.

• 30 % pay rise for triage professionals since 2024 to dampen turnover.

• AI-assisted triage for respiratory symptoms scheduled for full launch by year-end, expected to shave one minute off each call.

• Callback functionality so users can choose a return call within 30 minutes rather than remain on hold.

• A digital symptom-checker already live for adults with acute cough or fever, redirecting some users straight to self-care or online booking.

Early scorecard: is it working?

Penalties show the cost of missing targets: Altice has lost €1.5 million so far. Yet the latest metrics point upward. Analysts at the ACSS note that trimming wait times to under three minutes restored public confidence and averted a deeper winter crunch. Still, watchdog ERS warns the algorithm sending callers to distant hospitals needs refinement to avoid “care deserts.”

Voices from the field

Sandra Cavaca, head of SPMS, calls the episode “a textbook case of growing pains,” stressing that 970 000 GP appointments booked via phone kept equal numbers away from emergency rooms. Public-health researcher Paulo Mota, however, argues that “without permanent extra funding, the hotline risks becoming a victim of its own success.”

Why it matters for residents in Portugal

The hotline now sits at the crossroads of the national health strategy: every digital upgrade, staffing decision and budget line ripples through emergency departments, family-doctor access and even rural care equity. For the public the takeaway is simple but vital: ringing 808 24 24 24 remains the fastest way to navigate the NHS—provided the system stays ahead of its own popularity.

What to watch in 2026

• The State Budget earmarks fresh cash for digital modernisation; SNS24 call metrics will now be a headline performance indicator.

• Results from the AI pilot could decide whether automated triage expands to chronic conditions.

• A promised public awareness campaign will tell parents to phone first before rushing to paediatric A&E.

If the current downward curve in waiting times holds, the helpline could enter next winter stronger than ever. Should demand keep climbing, policymakers—and taxpayers—will soon confront the perennial question: how much convenience can the system afford?