The family doctor will visit or receive visits from 8am to 8pm from Mondays to Fridays, Saturday mornings from 8am to 10am If assistance is needed out of the doctors scheduled timetable one has to call the Guardia Medica (Emergency Medical Service) One has to book a visit to the doctors clinic beforehand. That is not the case of emergency of course If one cannot move from home, a home visit can be booked before 10am, and the doctor must see to his patient as soon as possible during that same day. Home visits booked after 10am, will then be seen to before 12 o’clock of the day after ON SATURDAYS the doctor doesn’t receive patients in clinics but may practice home visits before 10 am in the morning, or at any other hour decided beforehand The Regional Emergency Medical Service provides acute medical care and medical transport, when ones doctor is not on duty (ie saturday afternoons, sundays and festivities, night time) to everyone, non regional residents included The Emergency Medical Service is summoned by members of the public via an emergency telephone number which puts them in contact with the central call center which will give remain in constant contact if necessary,whilst sending out a medical team with doctor in situ The Emergency Medical Service cannot book hospital visits exams or checkups. The EMS doctor listens to and valuates the patients formal requests, takes notes of them along with all necessary information. He may then give advice via phone for the less serious cases, decide to send a doctor in sit for the more serious ones, or transfer the call to the Emergency unit at the 118 telephone number in case of acute emergency. In cases of non-acute emergencies, the doctor may call the patient to verify the effects of the medication he has prescribed the patient, or to monitor the evolution of the case The Emergency Medical Service after seeing the patient may then decide to: a) prescribe a temporary medication for the next 48/72 hours b) certifies the shift-workers inability to go to work c) decide to take the patient into hospital for further care.