Health care on the islands is reasonably well regulated. However, the formal state of health care, especially public health care, need not necessarily be better than in the homeland. The smaller islands only have an emergency post with night and weekend service equipped for the most basic issues, only the most populated islands have an actual hospital. For the really complex cases, however, one will have to go to the mainland for treatment.
For short-term stays, the European insurance card that every health insurance company within the EU is required to provide, works fine everywhere for urgent matters. So does the common coverage on the islands from most travel insurers for if you are from outside the EU.
If you stay longer or more regularly on the islands, it is advisable to have local insurance and at least choose a regular doctor. If you are insured locally, there are also waiting times for non-urgent medical procedures. A local private insurance really does add value in terms of service level.
“Health care on the islands is reasonably well regulated. For short-term stays, the European insurance card, works fine everywhere for urgent matters.”
Pharmacies are also easily accessible, including for night and weekend dispensing. Do be mindful of asking for the accompanying medication advice in English on your own accord if you are unable to parse the medication leaflets in Portuguese, especially when combined with use of other medications. Furthermore, a digital text translator usually works adequately to scan the information from the medication leaflets yourself if nothing better is available.
More generally, the provision of medication at emergency stations shows some enthusiasm in the sense that it is primarily aimed at taking care of and resolving medical complaints preferably in a single consultation. Logical, of course, when you are so remote and the nearest hospital is by no means around the corner.
But it does mean that you are sometimes given drugs in the first trip to the emergency doctor, which in many countries are only used much later or even as a last-line remedy. Be aware of this to avoid possible drug resistance. Especially with this reason, finishing a course of treatment is relevant to avoid these.
Since the islands are particularly popular with the slightly older out-of-towners, it is good to know that recently even directed termination of life, under strict conditions, is no longer punishable on the Azores.
A codicil with the regular doctor about your vision of life and death, and a notarized statement that clearly establishes your will in life (when affected by incapacity), and with regards to (continued) treatment, resuscitation and death in any case is therefore important, that it is recorded as such objectively, and that this can be expressly relied upon by those left behind in case of unforeseen circumstances.
