médico de recurso
Published 6 November 2026, 09:07
médico de recurso — the duty doctor at a health centre for people who don't have their own
A doctor at the centro de saúde who sees people without an assigned family doctor. You go to them for a certificate, a prescription or a referral when you haven't yet been given your own doctor. The appointment is just as much a part of the public system as one with a family doctor.
Where you come across it. The first months after moving, while you wait for a family doctor; a certificate or prescription you need urgently.
For a vaccine from the national schedule you don't need a doctor at all — an appointment with a nurse is enough. You need the duty doctor only when you specifically need a prescription or a certificate.