Wednesday, 8 July 2026

President of the Republic António José Seguro has promulgated the new organic law for the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), granting the institute special public status. While the government claims this will provide greater flexibility, the emergency technicians' union has requested a parliamentary review, warning that the changes could compromise service quality.

A SATA flight bound for Toronto made an emergency landing on Terceira Island this Tuesday after smoke was detected in the cabin. Six passengers were transported to local health units for smoke inhalation, with three taken to the Santo Espírito Hospital and three to the Praia da Vitória Health Centre.

The Almada City Council has announced a ban on all non-essential water usage, including watering, to replenish reserves following persistent supply failures. Local officials hope to stabilize the situation within two to three weeks, though critics point to long-standing infrastructure neglect and high water loss rates in the municipality.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (Ministério da Educação, Ciência e Inovação or MECI) has postponed the release of national exam results and the start of the second phase following widespread technical failures. The transition to a fully digital grading system for over 300,000 exams led to missing response sheets and platform accessibility issues for teachers. Unions and educators have criticized the implementation, citing logistical chaos and concerns over the integrity of the assessment process.

Update: Exam grading platform faces further downtime

Teachers have been notified that the digital grading platform will be unavailable again this Wednesday for maintenance. This follows previous outages earlier in the week, leading to continued criticism from the Missão Escola Pública movement regarding the government's ability to manage the assessment process.

Recent heatwave conditions have resulted in nearly 200 excess deaths across Portugal over the last five days, with 62 deaths recorded on Monday alone. While the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that European nations must treat the heat as a public health emergency, the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) currently rules out an extreme scenario for the country.

Update: Heatwave linked to 63 excess deaths

The Secretary of State for Health confirmed that 63 excess deaths have been directly associated with the recent heatwave as of July 6. Authorities noted that while demand for the SNS 24 health line and emergency services has increased, the overall pressure on hospital emergency departments remains manageable.

The market share for generic medicines in Portugal fell to 50.5% in April 2026, down from 52.2% in 2024. The Portuguese Association for Medicines for Health Equity (EQUALMED) is calling for new measures to protect the supply chain and ensure the sustainability of generic drug availability.

The Constitutional Court has struck down a legal provision that allowed domestic violence victims to provide testimony without alerting the accused. The ruling has sparked concern among magistrates regarding the potential for witness intimidation and delays in judicial proceedings.

Millions of pensioners in Portugal will receive a double payment this month, combining their regular July pension with their annual holiday allowance. The specific payment dates vary depending on the individual's enrollment in the social security system.

Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves has condemned an assault on police officers at Humberto Delgado Airport, describing the incident as a serious attack on society. A 27-year-old Irish national was detained after attacking airport staff and responding officers from the Public Security Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública or PSP). The Independent Police Agents Union (Sindicato Independente dos Agentes de Polícia or SIAP) has since called for improved working conditions and resources for officers.

The European Court of Auditors has warned that EU funds for home energy renovations are being poorly applied across member states. The report suggests that countries are prioritizing simple, fast-to-execute projects rather than those that offer the most significant energy savings, potentially wasting 43 billion euros in funding.

The Generic Medicine Users Association (Associação de Utentes de Medicamentos Genéricos or UMG) launched this week to promote the use of generic drugs in Portugal. The group argues that increasing the national generic market share to 75% could save 300 million euros annually, claiming that current price differences are driven by commercial strategies rather than clinical requirements.

Public transport services in the Algés area will be reinforced from Thursday through Sunday to accommodate 60,000 daily attendees at the NOS Alive festival. The PSP will coordinate a special security operation, and organizers have reminded attendees that items such as glass bottles and offensive posters are prohibited.

The Costa do Mar Family Health Unit (Unidade de Saúde Familiar or USF) in Costa da Caparica closed this afternoon due to ongoing water supply failures in the region. The local Parish Council (Junta de Freguesia) has requested assistance from firefighters to distribute water to residents for basic household needs.

Approximately 50 people, mostly young athletes, were treated at the Caldas da Rainha hospital following a suspected food poisoning outbreak at the Footmania tournament. The Food and Economic Safety Authority (Autoridade de Segurança Alimentar e Económica or ASAE) has inspected the catering supplier and reported no immediate findings of non-compliance.