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Doctors warn SNS under strain, propose hospital reform

Sunday, 15 February 2026AI summary
🩺 Health🏛️ Government#healthcare#waiting-lists#hospital-reform#medical-services
Doctors warn SNS under strain, propose hospital reform
Photo: CNN Portugal

The Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine presented a hospital reform plan to the government, saying rising demand for consultations and surgeries has increased waiting lists and strained the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS), CNN Portugal reports. The proposal includes hospital reorganisation and greater collaboration between specialties to cope with crisis phases and higher caseloads. Patients on waiting lists should follow communications from their hospital or primary care unit about scheduling and prioritisation.

Update: Presenter names rising demand as main cause

CNN Portugal quotes António Martins Baptista of the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine, who said the increase in consultations and surgeries is a main driver of longer waiting lists and presented reorganisation and cross-specialty collaboration as remedies.

Context & Explainers

António Martins Baptista is a representative of the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine (Sociedade Portuguesa de Medicina Interna) who presented a hospital reform proposal to the government. He has said that growing demand—more consultations and surgeries—helps explain the rise in NHS waiting lists.

The Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine (Sociedade Portuguesa de Medicina Interna) is the professional association for internal medicine doctors in Portugal that issues clinical guidance, organises scientific meetings and advises policymakers. It recently presented a hospital reform proposal and comments publicly on NHS issues such as waiting lists and service capacity.

Primary care (Cuidados de Saúde Primários) is the first level of Portugal's health system — the network of health centers (centros de saúde) and family health units (Unidades de Saúde Familiar, USF) that provide general practice consultations, nursing care, vaccinations, chronic disease management, preventive screening, and referrals to specialist care.

Every resident registered with the SNS (Serviço Nacional de Saúde) is entitled to a family doctor (médico de família), though in practice over a million people lack an assigned GP due to doctor shortages. The strength of primary care directly affects hospital pressure — when health centers are understaffed or closed, patients turn to hospital emergency departments, increasing waiting times.

Portugal has been expanding USF coverage and recruiting more GPs, but access remains uneven, particularly in rural inland areas and some Lisbon suburbs.

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