A series of measures have been outlined in a decree published today in the Diário da República, aimed at ensuring the health services’ readiness to address the expected surge in emergency visits during a period of increased demand due to the higher circulation of respiratory viruses, worsening chronic conditions, and risks associated with low temperatures.
“It is necessary to adopt specific measures for the reorganization and strengthening of services, ensuring an adequate response by optimizing human and material resources, reorganizing emergency schedules, enhancing inter-institutional coordination, and strengthening the operational capacity of health units,” stated Ana Povo, Secretary of State for Health, in the decree.
Measures are set to be in effect during the Seasonal Health Response Plan, from October 1 to April 30, 2026, aimed at ensuring the continuity and quality of healthcare services by guaranteeing the “adequate allocation of human and material resources in health units.”
Practically, the document requires Local Health Units (ULS) to draft service schedules that ensure the presence of medical, nursing, and other health professional teams proportional to the care needs and the level of contingency in place, which must be submitted to the Executive Directorate of the SNS (DE-SNS) at least two months in advance.
The decree further specifies that health professionals’ vacation schedules must be approved to ensure a “balance between the right to take vacation and maintaining the care response,” and also coordinate services to avoid overlaps that could hinder the functioning of emergency services and critical areas.
Additionally, ULS must strengthen the capacity to attend to acute illness cases in health centers, ensuring extended hours and increased service to prevent hospital emergency overloads, especially when higher patient influx is anticipated.
The activation of additional beds is also planned for the admission of individuals with acute respiratory diseases, worsening chronic diseases, or other complications related to extreme cold.
The decree mandates that the closure of external emergency services can only occur with prior authorization from the DE-SNS, and merely informing INEM is not sufficient, while hospitals must identify the ULS where patients should be directed.
Ana Povo’s decree emphasizes that prevention through vaccination is the first line of defense against the seasonal effects of winter, but acknowledges that given the predicted additional pressure on the health system, “a strategic strengthening of the SNS’s care capacity is equally essential for ensuring the continuity and quality of healthcare services delivered.”
The seasonal health response plan during winter, published by the Directorate-General for Health and the DE-SNS, came into effect on October 1, featuring three levels of contingency to prevent the impacts of extreme temperatures and the spread of respiratory viruses.
