Health Systems in Transition - Portugal

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Health systems in transition Portugal 82
4.1.2 Infrastructure
In 2014, Portugal had a relatively low supply of beds compared with other
European countries, though it is higher than in other countries with similar
NHS models, such as the United Kingdom and Spain (Fig. 4.1). The evolution
does, nonetheless, match the general international trend: a decrease over time,
which is less strong in NHS countries. In 2013, there were 5.5 beds devoted to
mental health care per 100 000 population, approximately one third of those in
2005 (17.0 per 100 000). This trend reflects a change in the paradigm of mental
health care provision, promoting patients’ integration in their communities
instead of institutionalizing them. There has also been a consistent reduction
in the number of beds in primary care centres over the past decade: in 2012
there were 2.9 beds per 100 000 population in primary care centres, compared
with 13.8 in 2000 (Table 4.1). Regarding long-term care, the current 7759 beds
fall short of the original aim to achieve 14 528 beds by 2015 (Ministry of Health,
2010), although an important effort since 2010 has almost doubled this number.
Fig. 4.1
Number of acute care hospital beds per 100 000 population in Portugal and selected
countries, 1990–2014
Source : WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2016.
200
400
600
800
1 000
1 200
EU
Italy
France
Latvia
United Kingdom
Spain
Portugal
Beds per 100 000
2011201220132014 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990