“No euro will be lost. Any funds that are not utilized and subject to formal withdrawal will be reallocated to projects that can be completed within nine months and are necessary, as this is also a rule of good public money management,” stated Francisco Rocha Gonçalves during a parliamentary health committee session alongside the Minister of Health.
The State Secretary emphasized the importance of applying funds to necessary initiatives, noting that the National Health Service (SNS) is the third-largest beneficiary of the PRR, with two billion euros allocated and having received an additional boost at a certain point.
“Without this boost, execution figures would look slightly better; the boost has somewhat diluted the base figure. Currently, it stands at 19%, but with nine months remaining, most scheduled renovations and projects are in execution and must be completed by mid-2026,” he stressed.
Francisco Rocha Gonçalves reassured that the 19% execution rate is not concerning.
“These 19% would be 24% if it weren’t for the additional funds, but it is gratifying that these funds will be used to invest in people’s health, and they will be well invested. They will not be lost because when someone withdraws, the funds are reallocated into competition,” he mentioned.
The official also highlighted that the Ministry of Health is awaiting “final validation from the European Commission” and noted that two notices are open about the funds available for submission by institutions.
“These two notices have been open for a few days, and health units are aware, one example concerning basic clinical equipment. There are no bids for new constructions because it is unlikely that new constructions will start in nine months, or at least we are not aware of any projects. If we were, I imagine project teams might have included them,” he explained.
The recipients for the equipment acquisition notice include all local health units (ULS), the Armed Forces Hospital, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), the Institute for Addictive Behaviors and Dependencies (ICAD), Infarmed, and the Ricardo Jorge Institute.
The State Secretary specified that the second notice targets specific investments in Barcelos, Esposende, the Portuguese Oncology Institute (IPO) in Porto, São João Hospital (Porto), ULS in Aveiro, ULS in Arco Ribeirinho (Barreiro), ULS in Leiria, IPO in Coimbra, ULS in Coimbra, ULS in Algarve, and ULS in Viseu and Oeste.
Francisco Rocha Gonçalves also assured that the SNS 24 Line (808 24 24 24) is prepared for the winter, with the operator set to “adapt technology” using artificial intelligence.
