The SUS Executive Board launched a Winter Plan to cover the period of increased illness. Meanwhile, proposals from AD and Chega were even approved: non-resident foreigners do not have access to the SUS.
There are now 231 health centers that will operate with extended hours, for more than two months: either until 8 pm, or until midnight, and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, according to the .
O new SNS Winter Plan It has schedules that depend on “the response capacity of each USF (Family Health Units, the so-called health centers) and the needs of each population”, a source told DN.
By the end of February there are 231 health posts that will be operating around the clock. Saturday, 198 to domingo, 189 em holidays, 32 open after 8pm on weekends48 after 8pm on weekdays15 open during 24 hours on weekends and, finally, eight that will be open to 24 hours on weekdays. In the country, there are a total of 940 primary care units.
“The objective is to respond in proximity to users, whether residents or others who have to travel to other areas due to parties, in season of hospital infections, and not overload emergency rooms“, says the source.
The reported this Thursday that the flu epidemic period has begunand the National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge “notified 27,351 cases of respiratory infection and 1440 flu cases” since the start of the flu season.
“The important thing is that this measure is not imposed or extended to the entire country without planning at a local level. When making these decisions, it is necessary think about the resources that exist in each USF and the response that is necessary for each population, which may vary according to location”, says Nuno Jacinto, president of the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF). If this is not the case, “it is another solution that will act as a ‘band-aid’”, he says.
SNS is like museums: foreigners pay or stay out
Citizens illegally staying foreigners and non-residents they will no longer be able to use the SNS. AD’s proposal and Chega’s two will come into force.
After the debate scheduled by Chega on the call “health tourism”the two initiatives had the same vote in general, being approved with votes in favor of the PSD, CDS-PP and Chega and against the PS, Initiative Liberal, BE, PCP and Livre, Lusa reports.
They were also approved two draft resolutions — without the force of law —, one from the PS, recommending that the Government monitor foreigners’ access to the SUS, and another from IL, which recommends that they be foreign citizens are charged their costs in the SNS before providing non-urgent health care or who, alternatively, can use health insurance or international agreement.
During the debate, the PS deputy Mariana Vieira da Silva recalled that the number of foreigners non-residents who take advantage of the SNS is residual, and does not exceed 1,6%.
PCP deputy Paula Santos, in the same debate, the report from the General Inspection of Health Activities which shows that the care of non-resident foreigners corresponds to 0.7% of the total number of episodes emergency.
Also this week, a controversy involving the restriction of access to Portuguese services occurred in Brussels. At issue is the free national museums for residents in Portugalwhich the European Union wants to extend to EU citizens.
But, in leisure or health, the Portuguese government refuses — is it foreign? You have to pay.
