João Relvas / Lusa
Eurico Castro Alves
Mariana Mortágua says that there is an ongoing plan for the dismantling of the National Health Service, carried out by people linked to the Social Democratic Party. The leader of Left block wants to confront the government with “SNS partition” in Parliament.
The BE has scheduled for next week a government interpellation in Parliament, accusing the executive of bringing “more chaos” to the National Health Service and having “partized”.
“On February 6, by the hand of BE, the country will confront the government, the Minister of Health, on the SNS Starturizationbut also about the failures that the government’s emergency program has brought, ”he announced at the end of parliamentary days, which took place in the Coimbra district, the leader of the block bench, Fabian Figueiredo.
This Wednesday, on the program, of Antena 1, the leader of the BE Mariana Mortágua denounced a dismantling and privatization plan do SNS.
“There is an organized group that the PSD put to take care of the NHS. This organized group departs from the Order of Doctors of Porto, which has many connections to the private sector and is centered on a figure named Eurico Castro Alveswhich was responsible for “.
The blockadeller also mentioned that the Private sector links include elements of the government itself, specifically the Ministry of Health, being promoted by the minister ANA PAULA MARTINS.
“The minister organized this groupyour secretary of state is part of this group. It is a problem of political organization, the minister’s team and is a problem of politics, because these groups advocate the privatization of NHS and today are everywhere in the NHS, ”said the blockade leader.
“How can those who defend the privatization of the NHS may be defending, at the same time, the interest of the NHS?”, Asks Mariana Mortágua, adding that “It is a contradiction of terms”.
Eurico Castro Alves was Secretary of State for Health in 2015, in the 20th Constitutional Government, led by Pedro Passos Coelho.
Degree in Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, from 2005 to 2012, Castro Alves was a member of the Board of Directors of the Health Regulatory Entity, where Created Sinas (National Health Assessment System) and the complaint service.
In 2007 it was Named by the government of José Sócrates to the Advisory Board of the National Commission for the Development of Outpatient Surgery (CNADCA).
Between September 2012 and October 2015 was chairman of the Board of Directors of the InfarmedNational Authority of Medicine and Health Products, IP, period in which the Creation of Sinats (National Health Technology Evaluation System) e do Farmed (Forum of regulatory agencies of Lusophone space countries).
Installed “client network” linked to private
For the blocks, “the government failed to manage the NHS, brought more chaos, more disorganization” and the emergency plan presented by the executive failed.
“Where there were problems came to exist more problems. Where there was predictability there was chaos. In several cases where there were good health managers there was a part of public office, ”argued Fabian Figueiredo.
The leader of the block’s parliamentary bench also mentioned the fact that the emergency plan was designed “by a strong health man from the health area, Eurico Castro Alves is“ the most paradigmatic case ”of this alleged partisanship.
“And see, this same Eurico Castro Alves, several PSD party colleagues are part of Porto’s social organs that hold the Perlada Hospital, which will receive millions of euros to treat users of the National Health Service. But these stories of partisanship, from promiscuitywhere the party card gives access to areas, to management positions in the NHS, there is also the rule in increasingly local health units, ”he said.
This is one of the themes for which blockists have warned.
Last week, following the resignation of Gandra D’Almeida from the position of Executive Director of SNS, the deputy Isabel Pires had already stated that the social democrat, appointed to this place, belongs to a “Client Network” linked to the private sector that the government “is installing” in the health sector.
Be accuses government of wanting to “create panic”
As for, the parliamentary leader of the Left Bloc accused the government of wanting to “create panic” in society, with the objective of “Encourage the business of private pension funds”.
“What the right wants is to create moral panic, a social panic, saying that social security is not sustainable to create a business around our pensions,” said Fabian Figueiredo.
The deputy claimed that the right “tries to make peace with pensioners, but at the slightest opportunity his ideological program is revealed”, considering that the working group announced Monday by the government, which aims to study the sustainability of social security , represents “the return to the old will to privatize ”this institution.
“The PSD wants to divert public resources from Social Security to stimulate the business from private pension funds and for this names a set of personalities, several of them, it can be said, are foxes placed in the chicken coop,” he accused.
Fabian Figueiredo argued that the Portuguese social security system “is solid, consistent and strong”: “In 2024, social security had a positive balance of over four billion euros. 4.4 billion euros. About two billion euros of this positive balance came from contributions from immigrant workers. For 2025, a positive balance exceeding five billion euros is projected. 5.7 billion euros. The Social Security Stabilization Fund that guarantees the payment of future pensions totals more than 40 billion euros, ”he said.
Blocks have announced that the party will deliver a request to Listening urgently in Parliament the Minister of Labor, Rosario Palma Ramalho.
The BE wants the ruler to explain to the country “his real intentions” with this working group and said the party “does not accept that the right will play with social security.”
Speaking to journalists upon arrival of the VII Cimeira Portugal Cape Verde, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Lisbon, this Tuesday, Rosario Palma Ramalho was questioned several times if the government is preparing to put a brake on early reforms, as It was reported this Monday.
“There will be no damage to the acquired rights of pensioners,” he said.
Given the insistence of journalists if this brake can apply in the future, Rosario Palma Ramalho replied: “For the future, it will be seen What will happen, but it all depends on the conclusions of the work group. ”
