The Portuguese National Health Service (SNS) will see ten of its network points remain closed to the public while continuing operations internally, redirecting patients to alternative locations for service. Álvaro Almeida assured that no patient would be left untreated as the SNS will maintain its operations as a network.
Speaking in Porto at the 51st-anniversary ceremony of the Portuguese Oncology Institute, Almeida, the head of the SNS Executive Board, vowed that the network will meet all service demands.
“The network remains available at all times. No citizen will go untreated this weekend. The SNS has the capacity to respond,” he emphasized.
Almeida acknowledged that the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo region faces significant challenges, primarily due to a shortage of human resources, making it extremely difficult to fill shifts, especially during holiday periods.
The service constraints in emergency departments are primarily due to a lack of specialist doctors, a recurring issue during holidays such as summer and year-end and extended weekends.
Almeida highlighted at the ceremony that this long-standing issue, which has been exacerbated over the past three years, particularly affects areas like obstetrics. He refrained from commenting on whether the problem could worsen as doctors approach their annual limit of overtime hours or whether planning deficiencies played a role.
“This is not an issue exclusive to Portugal but a problem facing all European countries. We are working to minimize it (…). There are many areas within the SNS that need adjustment. No healthcare system worldwide is perfect, and certainly, neither is the SNS,” he stated.
Pressed by journalists, Almeida, who assumed the role of SNS Executive Director at the end of January, responded that continuous improvements are underway, summarizing, “This year was better than last year, and last year was better than the year before.”
