The ANL stated in a communication that, although the document acknowledges the role of the private and social sectors in public provision, a 10.1% reduction in spending on the acquisition of goods and services for the National Health Service (SNS) is planned, which will directly affect the contracted network.
According to the association, the contracted network is responsible for 101 million essential annual exams and clinical diagnostics, serving 14 million users in 3,300 access points distributed throughout the country.
The ANL considered that the budget cut jeopardizes the sustainability of this network, which is an integral part of the SNS.
“The contracted sector is an integral part of the SNS and cannot continue to be penalized by inappropriate decisions,” emphasized the director-general of ANL, Nuno Marques, as quoted in the statement.
Nuno Marques stressed that acknowledging the importance of the contracted sector “involves ensuring real conditions of sustainability through the updating of the tables of contracted acts and compliance with the legal framework of conventions.”
“Without these measures, the OE2026 and the health policy, which continues to disregard the contracted sector, will compromise the sustainability of a network responsible for providing essential diagnostics for citizens’ health,” he emphasized, calling for a review of the budget proposal.
The importance of laboratory results is highlighted by ANL as central in 70% to 80% of clinical decisions, and 95% of the care pathways “involve clinical pathology or anatomical pathology examinations.”
Despite their relevance, contracted laboratories operate with pricing tables “outdated for more than a decade,” suffering administrative cuts that, according to ANL, represent a real loss of more than 50% of the payment value per act.
“Maintaining this situation contradicts the SNS’s priorities of prevention and early diagnosis, and it undermines the sustainability of a national diagnostic network that directly employs over 8,000 workers, ensuring proximity, cohesion, territorial equity, and access to healthcare within clinically acceptable times,” added the ANL.
