Is the Portuguese Government Really Cutting Access to Health Services for 130,000 People?

The Statement

Marisa Matias, a deputy from the Left Bloc, accused the government of a "user blackout" stating:

“The cherry on top: promoting a giant blackout of users. In the government's proposal, 130,000 will lose access.”

The Context

In an opinion piece published on March 10, Marisa Matias criticizes how Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's government is addressing issues within the National Health Service (SNS). While she acknowledges that the current government inherited a weakened SNS, she claims that Montenegro has "created chaos" in healthcare.

The focus is on the Emergency and Transformation Plan for Health, approved on May 29, 2024, which includes 54 measures structured around five strategic axes: timely responses, maternity, emergencies, community health, and mental health. According to the SNS's dedicated website for this program, 32 measures have already been implemented, with only 2% yet to start.

Matias argues that the plan's intent is not to resolve issues in the SNS but rather to serve economic interests: privatizing primary healthcare, expanding Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), and redirecting public funds to external services. She claims these actions would lead to thousands being excluded from the SNS, highlighting that 130,000 people will lose their family doctor. But is this accurate?

The Facts

The reference made by Matias relates to the fourth strategic axis concerning community and family health. The government's urgent measures include creating a parallel waiting list for non-residents and foreigners who have not had appointments in health centers for over five years.

The official document states: “We optimized the allocation of Family Doctors by transferring non-resident users and foreign residents without consultations in primary health care for over five years to a parallel waiting list, enabling the assignment of Family Doctors to 130,561 users.”

Essentially, the government identified users who have not accessed their family doctor for over five years and reassigned these doctors to new patients on a waiting list. However, these users can still access the SNS via open consultations or emergency services, even without a family doctor.

This number comprises nearly 50,000 non-resident citizens (emigrants) and over 80,000 foreigners living in Portugal, all of whom have not had an appointment in over five years.

During a parliamentary hearing in June 2024, the Health Minister clarified that the aim was not to