The Health Regulatory Entity (ERS) today released a report on access to voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) within the National Health Service (SNS) in mainland Portugal between 2022 and 2024, indicating that the number of entities performing this procedure remained nearly unchanged during this period.
“By the end of 2024, out of the 40 hospital entities within the SNS eligible to perform IVG, 28 were conducting the procedure, one more than in 2023,” the regulator concluded, based on data provided by the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).
In practice, a total of 30 SNS hospitals performed IVG by the end of 2024, as the procedure was carried out at the Vila Real and Chaves hospitals within the Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro Local Health Unit, and at the Faro and Portimão hospitals within the Algarve Local Health Unit.
ERS further reported that by the end of 2024, there was one private clinic with which nine SNS hospitals, unable to perform IVG internally, had established protocols to conduct this procedure.
In 2024, 17,807 IVGs due to women’s choice within the first ten weeks of gestation were performed, marking an increase of 5.5% compared to 2023 and 13% relative to 2022, as per the regulator.
ERS data shows an increase in IVG from 15,762 procedures in 2022 to 16,880 in 2023, and further to 17,807 in the last year, with the majority, 67.2%, performed at SNS hospitals.
During these three years, most women undergoing IVG at SNS facilities did so without referrals from other entities, acting on their initiative.
IVGs were conducted on average at 7.4 weeks of gestation in 2024, showing a slight decrease in comparison to 2022, ERS noted, adding that nearly all procedures at SNS hospitals used medication methods.
Data supplied by DGS to ERS also pointed to instances where the time between a woman’s preliminary consultation and her abortion was three days or less, indicating possible non-compliance with the reflection period.
“Throughout the analyzed period, there were 13,596 cases where the period between the preliminary consultation and IVG was three days or less, predominantly occurring at official SNS facilities,” ERS warned.
The average time between the preliminary consultation and IVG intervention was 6.7 days in 2024, slightly higher than the 6.5 days in 2022 and 6.3 days in 2023.
ERS has been monitoring access to IVG, having opened a process in 2023 to ensure compliance with current procedures.
By May 15, ERS had received 37 complaints about access constraints to IVG—25 in 2023, nine in 2024, and two in 2025—prompting a further review based on DGS data.
Access to IVG will be a discussion topic during the ERS-led sessions focusing on the rights and responsibilities of patients in receiving humanized healthcare.
