The president of the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS), Sandra Cavaca, provided insight during a Health Commission hearing requested by the PSD about the SNS 24 Line, where Nuno Cadima, executive operations director of Altice, the telecommunications company operating the service, was also present.
During the hearing, deputies Mariana Vieira da Silva (PS) and Joana Cordeiro (IL) inquired about potential non-compliance with any of the 14 indicators outlined in the contract between SPMS and Altice.
Joana Cordeiro, citing several reports, noted that Altice might be facing penalties for non-compliance, specifically in call handling capacity, where the contract stipulates that 93% of calls must be answered within 15 seconds and the average wait time should be less than 30 seconds.
Nuno Cadima confirmed the imposition of penalties but stated that “due to contractual confidentiality requirements,” he could not disclose details, which were later revealed by Sandra Cavaca: “We are applying penalties to Meo [Altice].”
“In the last 21 months of the contract, 19 penalties have been applied, valued at approximately 1.5 million euros, concerning average wait time and service efficiency, that is, for calls answered below the 95% threshold,” she disclosed.
Despite the penalties, she emphasized that “the line operator has shown openness and a collaborative spirit,” underscoring Altice as “a major supplier” to SPMS.
She explained that the initial planning of the contract, which began in March 2024, did not include services like the Call Before, Save Lives project, which required adjustments over time, nor many other services integrated into SNS 24.
Nuno Cadima reiterated that the contract commenced in March 2024 and extends until December 2027 or a cap of 51 million is reached.
“Currently, around 30 million of the contract has been utilized, and our expectation is that, maintaining the monthly values of recent months, the contract will reach its 51 million limit by next summer. This is our forecast, given the current situation,” he stated.
Regarding this issue, the president of SPMS disclosed that last week, she submitted the new expenditure extension ordinance, which foresees a new 60-month service provision contract.
When asked about Altice’s profitability in this service, Nuno Cadima declined to comment on internal company details but highlighted the technological and human resources investment being undertaken to meet demand, which “increased exponentially within months” with the Call Before, Save Lives project.
He added that “the SNS pregnant line is by no means a ‘low cost’ line,” elaborating that it handles calls in under 10 seconds: “Given the systems, it’s virtually impossible to have a shorter time frame for answering a call in a call center.”
“We are making an effort on our part. We understand the critical nature of this service and strive to maintain such performance levels,” he emphasized.
Regarding the employment status of professionals, Nuno Cadima explained they are service providers, which allows for responsiveness to demand flexibility and seasonality, along with “some benefits for professionals.”
He added that most professionals maintain their primary activity with the National Health Service.
“We are not removing capacity from the NHS. It’s an opportunity for them to earn supplementary income (…) and we have valued those careers with a 30% raise since the contract’s inception.”
