Former PSD deputy Rui Cristina leveled accusations during his speech in the political declarations period at the plenary session in the Assembly of the Republic.
The speech was contested by former chairman of the Order of Doctors and PSD deputy leader Miguel Guimarães, who accused Chega of not proposing any solutions for the sector and defended Minister Ana Paula Martins, especially regarding the strengthening of INEM.
In his speech, Rui Cristina argued that the SNS is “bankrupt, mainly as a result of the action of the PSD/CDS governments,” and on the brink of “operational collapse.”
The Chega deputy acknowledged that the governments of Luís Montenegro “inherited a heavy legacy from the socialist governments,” but blamed Minister Ana Paula Martins, who he claims chose inertia and inadequate solutions.
“We demand answers and political accountability. The Health Minister has already proven her incompetence,” he said, after mentioning that a man died due to the INEM strike, for which “the Ministry of Health did not take appropriate preventive measures.”
Rui Cristina maintained that the SNS “continues to fail in attracting the necessary human resources” while simultaneously seeing a 9% increase in expenses, with the deficit reaching levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There are serious oversight failures,” he pointed out, referring to a dermatologist who received substantial payments from Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon. He concluded, “The SNS requires more competent and transparent management, and Ana Paula Martins does not possess the necessary skills.”
In response, Miguel Guimarães accused the Chega deputy of focusing only on negative cases “for political gain” and defended the minister’s actions, particularly concerning INEM.
“Chega talks about reforms, but no idea has been presented for state reform or health. Chega does not know what it wants from state reform or health,” reacted the former Order of Doctors president.
During this part of the plenary session, the government was also criticized by socialist leader Mariana Vieira da Silva, who criticized the Health Minister for “never taking responsibility,” always trying to shift it to others.
“After 14 months of PSD/CDS governments, we have more Portuguese without a family doctor, more on waiting lists, and more waiting for surgeries or consultations. For the poor results in the sector, for the most serious cases, the Health Minister has blamed everyone. In the INEM case, she even tried to blame two technicians,” stated Mariana Vieira da Silva.
For the former socialist minister, Ana Paula Martins is contributing to increasing instability in the health sector.
“She blames everyone and everything, but never takes responsibility for her actions,” she added.
