We attended this hospital’s emergency department on the night of 2 January after my 9-year-old son was hit in the eye by a Nerf bullet earlier that evening. Several hours later, he woke up with blurred vision, yellowish discharge, and severe eye pain. Given the symptoms and the rapid deterioration, we were very concerned and believed urgent specialist assessment was required to prevent potential damage to his eye.
Despite the emergency nature of the situation, the hospital declined to see him because he was under the age of 14 and they do not treat patients below that age. No examination or emergency intervention was provided.
As an expatriate living in Portugal, this was extremely distressing and unexpected, particularly given the severity of his symptoms and the risk of permanent injury without timely treatment.
This experience left us shocked and deeply concerned about how paediatric emergencies are handled in urgent situations. Parents should be aware of the hospital’s age restrictions and clarify in advance whether emergency care for children is available.
