In Giza, near Cairo, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa addressed why he didn’t mention Health Minister Ana Paula Martins during his speech on Thursday.
“But I did make a general reference that I believe everyone understood pertained to the Health Ministers, all of them, since the situation exists,” said the President.
He noted an example of a minister from a previous government under Prime Minister António Costa.
The President focused on the lack of a medium-term framework, “with or without agreement,” concerning the relationship between the public, social, and private-profit sectors and the management of the public sector, specifically the National Health Service (SNS).
“Without this definition, I mentioned that it takes a lot of courage and talent, which I truly admire, to solve daily problems that arise due to lack of framework definition,” he continued.
“Because these issues fall on the health protagonists every day, inevitably,” he remarked.
Rebelo de Sousa emphasized enduring uncertainties about the responsibilities of the ministry and the executive commission of the SNS as long as this indefinite state persists.
“If tomorrow, responsibility for healthcare coordination in each region—north, center, south—is transferred to the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions (CCDR), there will be another power layer,” he observed.
The President noted that any problem that arises will prompt questions about whether the responsibility lies with the ministry, the executive commission, or the CCDR, where coordination will have a designated individual.
He warned that if the situation remains unchanged, “it’s almost inevitable to constantly discuss cases, because one doesn’t go well, and another doesn’t go well, and so on.”
Asked if he appreciated the Health Minister’s challenge to the opposition for understanding after proposing a political agreement, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa replied he hadn’t seen Ana Paula Martins’ statements made in Parliament on Friday.
“I didn’t see them. As I’ve said, it’s a choice for Parliament, the Government, and the opposition to make agreements. But I’ve also suggested that if it were up to me, I would seek an understanding,” he reiterated.
