In a statement to journalists following a meeting with the Independent Union of Doctors (SIM) in Lisbon, Mariana Leitão declared that the National Health Service (SNS) is in a state of “total and absolute collapse” and that resolving its issues requires more than just patchwork solutions.
“This needs a major reform,” she stated, suggesting that Health Minister Ana Paula Martins has not taken steps in this direction and instead continues to implement temporary measures that do not tackle the structural problems.
Leitão emphasized the need for the SNS to provide “timely responses to people,” asserting that this requires “greater autonomy, full use of the country’s capacity, including private and social sectors that can provide healthcare, and valuing healthcare professionals.”
When asked if the IL is concerned about the SNS’s capacity to respond during the winter, Leitão confirmed this concern, noting that emergency plans are always created during peak periods in emergency services, but the issues persist.
“Measures are announced, but problems persist, so we continue to view this winter with concern,” she said, reiterating that without a reform and without stopping some of the ideological constraints preventing collaboration with other sectors, the necessary response will not be achieved.
Regarding the immediate measures the IL supports, given that reforms take time to have an impact, Leitão reiterated the importance of utilizing the “existing capacity” and not just relying on private hospitals as a last resort when public waiting times are excessively long.
Leitão also argued that hospitals need decision-making autonomy to “decide what is best for the populations they serve and to handle peak situations,” whether in terms of hiring healthcare professionals or acquiring medical equipment.
“When everything is centralized in the ministry, or in Lisbon, decisions impacting hospitals and health services across the country are made without a real understanding of their implications,” she commented.
Regarding her meeting with the SIM, which has been holding meetings with parties since the legislative elections in May, Leitão noted that there were alignments between the union and her party, particularly on the necessity of “genuinely valuing” healthcare professionals.
“It is essential to ensure that people want to work in the SNS,” she stated, highlighting consensus on reinforcing hospitals’ decision-making autonomy.
“It was very positive to see that what we have advocated aligns with the needs identified by the union, which represents nearly seven thousand doctors,” she remarked.
