Minister of Health Ana Paula Martins stated that the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde or SNS) is currently providing its most intense response in both quality and quantity. The ministry reported that over 668,000 new users have registered in the system over the last three years.
Health Minister reports record intensity in National Health Service
Tuesday, 7 April 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
The Alfredo da Costa Maternity Hospital (Maternidade Alfredo da Costa, commonly known as MAC) is Lisbon's principal public maternity facility and one of the busiest maternity units in Portugal's National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde).
Located in central Lisbon, the MAC is a referral center for high-risk pregnancies and complex neonatal care. It handles a large volume of births annually and serves as a teaching hospital affiliated with Lisbon's medical schools.
The MAC has been at the center of recurring debates about maternity ward closures and staffing shortages across Portugal's public health system. Expectant parents in the Lisbon area may be referred to the MAC for specialist care or diverted there when other maternity units temporarily close due to staff shortages.
4 sources
- "SNS has never provided such an intense response as it does now," says Minister of HealthECO ·
- Health Minister says the NHS "has never provided such an intense response in quality and quantity as it does now"CNN Portugal ·
- Health Minister says the NHS has never provided such an intense response as it does nowPúblico ·
- The NHS has never provided such an intense response as it does nowObservador ·
