Portugal Ministry of Health classifies digital requests as consultations

The Portuguese Ministry of Health is recording certain digital interactions as formal medical consultations. This includes requests for medication renewals via the National Health Service (SNS) mobile app or website, as well as the emailing of exam or clinical analysis results.

According to the Central Administration of the Health System (ACSS), these actions require clinical evaluation, medical decision-making, and registration in the clinical record, thus qualifying them as "clinical acts and not mere administrative acts." Consequently, they are categorized as "consultations without the presence of the patient."

Each such digital act incurs a minimum charge of 30 euros, which is assumed by the State. The cost follows a price table approved by Minister Ana Paula Martins in June. Data from the Health Regulatory Authority indicates that while in-person consultations at health centers decreased in 2025, remote consultations rose to 15.3 million.