Emergency numbers on Pico

The one number to remember

112. It is the European emergency number. It is free, it works from fixed and mobile phones, and it reaches any emergency service. If you remember nothing else from this page, remember that.

In the Azores, 112 is answered by PSP police officers, who pass the call to whichever service it needs. A medical call goes to the Linha de Emergência Médica, where a nurse asks the questions. That is not a delay: the regional civil protection service says that once an emergency is identified, help is sent while the questions continue. Answer what you are asked, and stay on the line.

Visiting from another EU country, your phone should also receive a text about 112 when you arrive, because the EU roaming rules oblige operators to send one. See mobile data and roaming.

Health advice that is not an emergency

The Azores run their own health line, the Linha de Saúde Açores, on 808 24 60 24. Nurses answer it, and it is the right call for "is this serious, and where should I go?". The Hospital da Horta lists it beside 112 on its own contacts page, together with the national SNS 24 line, 808 24 24 24.

There is no hospital on Pico

The referral hospital for Pico is the Hospital da Horta, on Faial, across the channel from Madalena. The hospital describes itself as the reference hospital for Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Flores and Corvo. Its general line is +351 292 201 000 and its emergency department is on 292 201 048.

Pico itself has health centres in the three towns, Madalena, São Roque do Pico and Lajes do Pico, as mapped on OpenStreetMap. The câmara of São Roque lists its centre on 292 648 070.

At sea

For an emergency on the water, call 112. The Portuguese Navy also publishes a direct line for emergencies at sea in the Azores: its rescue coordination centre in Ponta Delgada, MRCC Delgada, on +351 296 281 777. It is the number to save if you are sailing or kayaking on your own.

Planning around it

None of this is a reason to worry, and all of it is a reason to plan. A remote walk or a day on the mountain is a long way from a hospital bed, because the bed is on another island. Travel insurance that covers evacuation between islands is worth checking before you fly. If you take regular medication, bring enough, because the pharmacy on duty may be a drive away. Refuel at half a tank, too: fuel stations are few. And a public holiday runs on Sunday rules, so check public holidays on Pico if your trip crosses one.

What this page does not tell you

No opening hours, and no phone numbers for the Madalena and Lajes health centres. The regional health service's own pages return an error from the machine this page was checked on, and a health-centre number copied from a secondary listing is not one we will print. Call 112 or the Linha de Saúde Açores and they will route you. See practical information for the wider picture.