Adalberto Campos Fernandes to lead new health pact

Friday, 24 April 2026AI summary
Adalberto Campos Fernandes to lead new health pact
Photo: RTP Notícias

President of the Republic António José Seguro has appointed former health minister Adalberto Campos Fernandes to coordinate a new Strategic Pact for Health. The initiative aims to build a long-term, cross-party consensus to improve the national healthcare system, with Campos Fernandes emphasizing that the sector requires stability and efficiency over radical changes.

Context & Explainers

António José Seguro
  • President of Portugal (since March 9, 2026)
  • Party: Independent. Former leader of the Socialist Party (PS), Partido Socialista
  • Center-left

António José Martins Seguro (born March 11, 1962, in Penamacor) is a lawyer, political scientist, and the current President of the Portuguese Republic, inaugurated on March 9, 2026 after winning the two-round presidential election in January–February 2026.

Career: He led Socialist Youth (1990–1994), served as MEP (1999–2001), was Minister Adjunct to PM António Guterres (2001–2002), and led the PS parliamentary group (2004–2005). Elected PS Secretary-General in 2011 with 68%, he led the opposition during Portugal's bailout era. In 2014, António Costa defeated him in party primaries by a landslide, prompting Seguro's resignation and a decade-long retreat from politics. He returned in 2025, launching the movement UPortugal and announcing his presidential candidacy in June. He received official PS backing in October 2025 and won the presidency in February 2026.

Political philosophy: Seguro positions himself as representing a "modern and moderate" left, advocating financial responsibility while opposing austerity. As President, he has emphasized institutional trust, efficient governance, and a collaborative relationship with the government while maintaining rigorous constitutional oversight.

Adalberto Campos Fernandes is a physician and academic who served as Portugal's Minister of Health from 2015 to 2018. He is currently tasked by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa with coordinating a new Strategic Pact for Health (Pacto Estratégico para a Saúde), aimed at building consensus for long-term improvements in the national health system.