The Health Minister, Ana Paula Martins, stated during her address in Parliament on Friday that the State Budget for 2026 (OE2026) goes “far beyond a simple maneuver” to “be popular” by “once again increasing the Health budget.” However, she acknowledged that continuing to increase the budget for Health every year will not be feasible and called for more efficient management.
“Everyone knows the Health budget cannot rise indefinitely,” she stated, adding, “You, the members of Parliament, as representatives of the people, must have the courage to accept this. We can promise infinity, but that will not be possible.”
Martins also issued a warning: “We have deeply considered the options this budget presents, and it embodies realism and a deep belief that the health of the Portuguese is one of the most important, if not the most important, values in a society.”
“It’s not enough to beat our chests and say we need more money. The issue isn’t having more money but having money for what’s necessary and creating a fairer and more efficient health system that doesn’t depend on postal codes and individuals’ health conditions. It’s a long and difficult path we refuse to abandon,” she asserted.
“Path of stones”
She challenged the opposition parties for an agreement on the National Health Service, acknowledging it will be a “path of stones” and that the government “will do its part”. “The challenge is set for the opposition parties to reach an understanding with us on the SNS we want, can have, and how we should enhance relationships with other sectors, making them partners and not competitors,” she said.
Martins stated that “it will take time” to “give back the SNS to the Portuguese,” especially “not yielding to entrenched interests, single thought models, or any corporation.”
Ending Public-Private Partnerships “was an incorrect choice” that should be reversed. “This is a marathon. It requires clarity in the path to take, resilience, persistence, courage, involvement of professionals, political actors, and above all, citizens,” she added.
Increase in births outside hospitals: “Some don’t even speak Portuguese”
The minister explained the increase in births outside hospital environments by the rise in unmonitored pregnancies, noting that “between 2022 and 2025, 169 children were born in 2022, 173 in 2023, 189 in 2024, and 154 in 2025 in ambulances, public roads, primary care, and at home.”
“Most are pregnant women who never received prenatal care, do not have a family doctor, are newly arrived in Portugal, with advanced pregnancies, and some don’t even speak Portuguese or were prepared to call for help. Sometimes, they don’t even have a phone,” described Ana Paula Martins.
“No, I won’t resign”
When questioned by Chega deputy Marta Silva about the death of a pregnant woman in the early hours of Friday at the Local Health Unit (ULS) Amadora-Sintra and reminded that Marta Temido resigned following a similar case, the minister replied: “No, I won’t resign.”
“It’s impossible not to recall that faced with a similar case, then Health Minister Marta Temido resigned. At that time, the PSD was the first to demand immediate political accountability. Where is that demand, that coherence? Will you or will you not assume political responsibility for these deaths?” said Marta Silva.
A pregnant woman of foreign nationality died overnight, a day after visiting the Amadora-Sintra Hospital and being sent home. The woman was 38 weeks pregnant and had been advised to have an early delivery due to hypertension.
[Updated at 5:56 PM]
