“We have an estimate around 100 million, but I cannot, in fact, guarantee,” stated Ana Paula Martins, speaking at the Assembly of the Republic during the hearing on the discussion of the specialty of the State Budget for 2026 (OE2026).
During the hearing, the minister faced questions about the cut in spending on medicines and clinical consumables, which, according to the explanatory note accompanying the OE2026, amounts to 208 million euros (-6%). The minister asserted no reduction in patient access to medication.
“You ask me if any patient will be left without medication? I answer, no,” Ana Paula Martins said, responding to Communist Party deputy Paula Santos.
The minister further explained that when the government took office, there were older medications with very low prices, which led to exceptional price increases to ensure their availability in pharmacies.
In an intervention, Socialist Party deputy Mariana Vieira da Silva requested the ‘spending review’ (a spending review conducted by the Ministry of Health in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance), which was highlighted by the minister to indicate that this budget views spending on goods and services acquisitions “in a different way.”
“I understand the deputy wanted a table with the measures and values in front. We have that in the ‘spending review’, but these are projections obviously based on the scenarios we have,” explained the minister.
The minister also mentioned that the feasibility of introducing Family Health Units of model B (USF B) in low-density territories is being examined, as well as the effectiveness of model C USFs (involving private or social sectors).
“We have just launched the conventions; we will see if they are successful,” she added.
