Presidential candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo spoke on Thursday during a visit to the new hospital in Sintra, highlighting health as one of the main concerns of the Portuguese people.
“Portuguese citizens are concerned about three major issues: housing, health, and immigration,” he stated to journalists on site.
Gouveia e Melo emphasized that health should be a priority because “it is one of the elements that most combats social inequalities.”
He further remarked that the President, “whoever is chosen, must champion the problems experienced by the Portuguese.”
When asked whether the head of state could have more subtle influence over the government, particularly regarding ongoing cases and the refusal of current Health Minister Ana Paula Martins to resign, he responded:
“I have my opinion. I will not express it now. I believe such issues should be resolved behind closed doors. I imagine that [Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa] will have meetings and necessary conversations with the Prime Minister. And that is what should be done – not publicly, but in a reserved manner,” he commented.
Health? “I am not against the private model, but I am a supporter of the public model.”
The presidential candidate also warned of the importance of “not undermining the public health model,” considering it the only one capable of “truly combating inequalities and ensuring healthcare for everyone.”
“We have a problem not of resources. We have practically doubled financial resources over the past ten years. We have an organizational problem, a clear one, and a problem with the model, the competition between a private model and a public model. And how are we going to solve that problem? By not undermining the public model,” he argued.
In the perspective of the former coordinator of the task force for COVID-19 vaccination, “the public model is the one that, in reality and in the end, ensures universal access to healthcare for all Portuguese people.”
“I am a defender of the public model. I am not against the private model; however, the public model is the one that will truly combat inequalities and ensure healthcare for all, and that is something we all need to be concerned about,” he stressed.
The new governor of the Bank of Portugal
Before visiting the new hospital’s facilities, Gouveia e Melo was welcomed by the President of Sintra’s City Council, Basílio Horta.
Asked about the appointment of the new governor of the Bank of Portugal, Álvaro Santos Pereira, and whether the position should be more independent since the successor of Mário Centeno (PS) is a social democrat, Gouveia e Melo stated that the institution “must have maximum independence from the government,” as that is “its role.”
“And then, of course, the selection is within the executive’s sphere, which must select, essentially, a competent person. Therefore, I believe the competence of the selected person is not in question,” he maintained.
Presidential candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo emphasized today that the new governor of the Bank of Portugal (BdP), Álvaro Santos Pereira, must maintain “strict independence” from government policies.
Lusa | 16:54 – 24/07/2025
[Updated at 17:35]
