A regulation outlines the terms and conditions under which pharmacies will provide public health services for the Autumn-Winter 2025-2026 Seasonal Vaccination Campaign, including remuneration similar to last year’s scheme, which reportedly had a significant positive impact on public health protection and healthcare system responsiveness.
Pharmacies will receive three euros for administering each vaccine, contingent on the registration made in the National Vaccination Registration and Management Platform, indicating the lot of the administered vaccine.
The regulation also specifies an additional remuneration of 0.11 euros per administration to offset waste management costs, provided the maximum vaccine dose wastage does not exceed 1.5%.
“The return of unused vaccines by the pharmacy within their validity period is not considered as wastage,” according to the regulation signed by the ministers Joaquim Miranda Sarmento and Ana Paula Martins.
The directive states that costs associated with pharmacy remuneration will be covered by the budget of the Central Administration of the Health System, which will ensure transfers for Local Health Units to make payments accordingly.
Pharmacies will invoice and receive payments from the National Health Service in a manner consistent with current legislation regulating drug price subsidies.
The seasonal vaccination campaign is scheduled from September 23 to April 30, 2026, in National Health Service facilities and community pharmacies.
A regulation published on August 14 details that the government will spend 7.6 million euros on COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations in pharmacies, maintaining the previous campaign’s budget.
The government’s goal is to “ensure high standards of efficiency and effectiveness, promoting health benefits, combined with greater convenience and proximity for users.”
