Heard in Parliament, Ana Paula Martins denies a link between deaths and the INEM strike. She also claims not to have received prior notice, as does the former Secretary of State (although her chief of staff contradicts this).
Minister denies she could have done more to prevent strike
Tuesday, 21 April 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Ana Paula Martins is a Portuguese pharmacist and politician who has served as the Minister of Health in Portugal since April 2024. A member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), she was reappointed to the position in the second government of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro in June 2025.
Professional Background
Pharmaceutical Leadership: She served as the President of the Order of Pharmacists (Bastonária da Ordem dos Farmacêuticos) from 2016 to 2022.
Hospital Management: She was the President of the Board of Directors of Hospital de Santa Maria (CHULN) in Lisbon from December 2022 to January 2024.
Academic Work: She holds a PhD in Clinical Pharmacy and has been an assistant professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon for over 20 years.
Political Career
Government Role: As Minister of Health, she has overseen the implementation of the "SNS Emergency Plan" and recently addressed issues such as INEM staffing and public-private partnerships in healthcare.
Party Leadership: She served as Vice President of the PSD under Rui Rio (2021–2022).
Parliament: She was elected as a member of the Assembly of the Republic representing the Lisbon constituency in 2024.
Minimum services (serviços mínimos) are the legally required basic services that must be maintained during a strike to protect public safety—in healthcare this typically covers emergency care, critical ambulance coverage and intensive care. They matter because the INEM workers' committee admitted that late or unclear communication about which teams would be available during the end-of-2024 strike may have reduced operational capacity and confused patients; as an expat, expect limited non-urgent care during strikes and check official updates or call 112 for true emergencies.
AI Summary AvailableHealth Minister targets summer for INEM refoundingRead the synthesized summary with context and explainers
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Other news coverage of this topic
- Child rescue sparks controversy between firefighters and INEM in Lisbon • Correio da Manhã
- Minister of Health expects to approve INEM's organic law by summer • Correio da Manhã
- Health Minister expects to approve the refounding of INEM by summer • Expresso
- Minister did her “homework” and explains point-by-point what the refounding of INEM entails • Público
