The presidential candidate expressed concern, saying, “We know, for instance, that the executive director of the National Health Service has met with hospital administrators to discuss the need to cut costs, even if it compromises healthcare services. To me, this is chaos. This Government’s budget is chaos, and the Government wants everyone to talk about everything except what it is doing to people’s lives,” following her visit to Garcia de Orta hospital in Almada.
Catarina Martins referred to the prime minister’s use of the term “order over chaos” regarding the approval of the nationality law, using it to comment on the healthcare situation.
The presidential candidate was referring to a report by Público highlighting that the Executive Directorate of the National Health Service (DE-SNS), led by Álvaro Almeida, instructed hospitals to reduce expenses, even if it slows the increasing pace of surgeries, consultations, and other healthcare services.
The report claimed that these instructions were issued during a meeting with leaders of Local Health Units (ULS) shortly after the Government submitted the State Budget proposal for 2026 to the Portuguese Parliament.
Catarina Martins noted that the cuts being made to the National Health Service budget are equivalent to removing the largest hospital in Portugal, likening it to the sudden exit of Hospital Santa Maria from the National Health Service.
She criticized, “When we already have such difficulty accessing healthcare, and people are desperate for consultations, the Government systematically creates severe distractions, creating problems instead of solutions to divert attention from what it is doing to the country.”
For the presidential candidate, chaos is cutting back a National Health Service that already lacks the necessary resources to respond to the entire population.
“The National Health Service will have 10% less to operate. There are cost increases related to personnel because, as we all know, some updates are standard. However, the operational funds for the health service will be reduced. Additionally, spending on service providers will be less, and while I would agree with a reduction if more could be hired, the Government is instructing hospitals to spend less on service providers without the authorization to hire more,” she emphasized.
Catarina Martins argues that the National Health Service needs more resources, not fewer, and that people need greater access to doctors, consultations, and surgeries, not cuts.
The presidential elections have not yet been scheduled, but are expected to take place on January 18, 2026.
