The health sector remains a “very problematic area that continues to be complex,” according to Nazaré da Costa Cabral at the conference presenting the updated economic and budget forecasts.
Spending on the National Health Service (SNS) increased by 9% last year and is projected to be at a similar level this year, despite a slowdown in growth, she noted.
Initially, the pandemic justified increased health spending, she recalled, and in the post-pandemic period, the trend persists. “It’s now ‘post-post-pandemic’ and the expenditure continues to grow annually, indicating it’s not under control.”
“We haven’t seen any announced measures for effective control of public spending growth, especially in this sector and others,” she added.
Given this scenario, the president of the CFP emphasized the importance of conducting a comprehensive review of expenses, both in health and other state sectors.
The report published today on the “Economic and Budgetary Perspectives 2025-2029” highlights that the positive budget performance in the last two years is mainly due to significant surpluses in the Social Security sub-sector.
Conversely, “the Central Administration sub-sector is deficit and subjected to increasing expenditure pressures that are difficult to control, as seen in the National Health Service, along with new spending demands in public investment and national defense.”
In this forecast update, the CFP maintained the estimate of a zero budget balance this year and a deficit in 2026, albeit reduced to 0.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared to the previously forecasted 1% in April.
