Portugal health sector faces bed closures and staffing shortages

Portugal's National Health Service (SNS) is facing significant structural challenges. The National Association of Continuing Care (ANCC) reported that over 750 continuing care beds have closed in the last five years, with more than 260 closures occurring in 2026 alone. The association warns that these closures, often replaced by home care teams, do not meet the needs of patients requiring inpatient hospitalization and are driven by chronic underfunding.

Health Minister Ana Paula Martins has addressed various systemic issues, including a critical shortage of anesthesiologists in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo regions. She proposed resource sharing between hospitals through a new centralized emergency network to mitigate this. Additionally, the Minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to the SNS, denying claims that the system is in 'palliative care,' and announced the opening of up to 2,400 new medical residency vacancies to attract new talent.

Regarding emergency services, the government intends to continue transforming INEM to increase resilience and response capacity, following the cancellation of a strike by emergency technicians. Meanwhile, concerns have been raised regarding 'health tourism,' specifically the use of SNS emergency services by non-resident foreigners without identified insurance or coverage, which places additional pressure on public resources.