The social democrats have underscored the importance of this line as the “gateway to the National Health Service” and highlighted its increased call-handling capacity over recent years.
“In 2024, it handled around 3.5 million calls, nearly double the response given in 2023. This year alone, between January and September, the line responded to 4.3 million contacts, a figure that again reflects a significant increase from the previous year,” they note.
PSD deputies acknowledge that the growing user reliance on the SNS 24 Line has led to “undesirable increases in waiting times for service, which need to be addressed.”
“In recent years, there has been a significant boost in the human resources allocated to the SNS 24 Line, which currently has 3,200 professionals—700 more than last year—with an additional 500 new members in the training process,” they emphasize.
The PSD points out that a study revealed last week indicates that despite these reinforcements, “this winter, about one million calls to the SNS 24 Line might remain unanswered, an outcome that needs to be avoided.”
Therefore, the PSD is seeking “official clarifications on the current operating conditions of the SNS 24 Line, as well as on the insights from the entities most directly responsible for its future development.”
To this end, the PSD has requested hearings in the Health Committee, including Altice, the telecommunications company operating the SNS 24 Line; the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS), which manages and ensures the operation of the SNS 24 Line; and the Secretary of State for Health Management, Francisco Rocha Gonçalves, “as a government member overseeing SPMS.”
