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8. Conclusions
8. Conclusions
C
urrently, there is a political consensus from all parties in the parliament
that the health system is based on a universal, general and tendentiously
free at point of delivery NHS. There is also a consensus on the need
to expand the network of primary health care provision and long-term care.
In other words, the political dispute in Portugal is not centred on the general
organization of the health system, but instead on the way to solve its main
challenges. Despite the changes in government, in 2015, and respective health
policy ruling the country, in general terms, the current government is pursuing
some political measures introduced by the previous government, which aimed
to increase efficiency and promote the financial sustainability of the NHS.
However, several challenges remain.
The MoU signed between the Portuguese Government and the International
Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank in
May 2011 has been dominant in recent years (2011–2014) in Portugal. The MoU
outlined the specific measures on economic policies to be adopted by Portugal
in exchange for a €78 billion loan.
The MoU section dedicated to the health system defined policy measures
aimed to
“improve efficiency and effectiveness in the health care system, inducing
a more rational use of services and control of expenditures; generate
additional savings in the area of pharmaceuticals to reduce the public
spending on pharmaceutical (…); generate additional savings in hospital
operating costs.”