Portugal's SNS spends €135m on radiology as 150 towns lack services

The Entidade Reguladora da Saúde (ERS) reports that the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS) spent €135.6 million on radiology examinations in 2025, a 3.2 % increase over the previous year. The spending is concentrated in the North (€54.1 million) and Lisbon‑Vale do Tejo (€45.9 million) regions, together accounting for nearly three‑quarters of total radiology costs.

In Portugal continental, 154 municipalities – home to more than 1.5 million residents – have no contracted public radiology clinics, forcing patients to travel up to two hours for a basic X‑ray. The ERS estimates minimum travel times from uncovered municipalities range from 13 minutes in Lisbon‑Vale do Tejo to almost two hours in the Alentejo health region. Of the 795 radiology establishments, 670 are private, cooperative or social, and 27.7 % of operators handled 80.1 % of the accepted requests in 2025.

Despite higher spending, the number of radiology requests per 1,000 inhabitants fell 4.8 % to 427 in 2025. The Centre and North regions show the highest expenditure per 1,000 inhabitants, at €15,265 and €14,679 respectively, both above the national average.