The head of the Portuguese Medical Association (Ordem dos Médicos, OM) today emphasized the National Health Service (SNS) as a cornerstone of democracy, warning that it is experiencing an unprecedented critical moment due to public policies that have been weakening it.
During the inauguration ceremony for the 2025-2029 term, Carlos Cortes stated that protecting the SNS is synonymous with defending the Constitution, the dignity of the medical profession, and ensuring the basic rights of all citizens.
“In our case, a fundamental context is the SNS, an authentic cornerstone of our democracy and a legitimate source of pride for Portugal. However, today this legitimate pride coexists with growing concern: the SNS is going through a critical and unprecedented moment,” he remarked.
The ceremony, held at the OM auditorium in Lisbon and attended by Health Minister Ana Paula Martins, saw the head emphasize the need to “clearly denounce the policies that have been weakening and compromising it over the last decade.”
“The scenario is well-known: hospital emergencies in disruption, exhausted doctors, patients suffering. Portugal leads in the number of emergency episodes occurring, often due to a lack of viable alternatives. The system has become hostage to an ’emergency-centric’ logic that no other country could sustain,” he pointed out.
Carlos Cortes highlighted the increase in waiting lists and the scarcity of resources, noting that “poverty is also a hidden disease.” In Portugal, he stated, about 28% of healthcare expenses are paid directly out of family pockets, with many foregoing doctor visits and necessary medications.
“We continue to witness hospitals overloaded with debt, health centers lacking adequate maintenance, and a systematically undervalued medical career,” he lamented.
In his speech, Carlos Cortes mentioned that “defending healthcare does not mean ignoring the private or social sector, quite the contrary, both have their place in a balanced system.”
“Without a strong SNS, access becomes unequal, and equity remains merely an illusion in election pamphlets. We need to deeply debureaucratize the SNS and establish effective digital interoperability, allowing fluid, agile, and effective communication between various healthcare levels and units,” he stressed.
The medical association leader called for a direction in health that includes a new medical career applicable to all sectors, recognizes medicine as a high-risk, rapidly tiring profession, invests heavily in medical residency, and becomes “a true national priority.”
Carlos Cortes was reelected for a second term on June 3, having been the sole candidate in the elections for the mandate ending in 2029.
The clinical pathology specialist ran for a second term after first assuming the position in March 2023, when he was elected with 61.94% of votes in a runoff election against Dr. Rui Nunes.
