General States – Transforming the SNS
On the 12th of May, the third session of the General States will be held at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra.
The National Health Service (SNS) is one of the greatest achievements after April 25, 1974 and one of the main cohesion factors of society in democratic Portugal. However, in order to guarantee its sustainability for the foreseeable future, our SNS must necessarily undergo transformations of a strategic nature.
It is a fact that the SNS needs more resources for its development. But that, by itself, is not enough. It is necessary to make the necessary transformations to respond to the challenges of today.
Portugal can no longer tolerate waiting times and failures in health care. There will only be true access to health if we do not give up the fight for a public, qualified and universal National Health Service, paid for with our taxes. Strategic vision and action and a new model of governance are needed.
In this context, led by the Fundação para a Saúde SNS, the project “Estados Gerais – Transformar o SNS” emerged at the beginning of 2023, a partnership between civic, social and professional organizations, including all contributions and wishes that wish to collaborate for the health of all and through the SNS.
The first Conference took place in Porto, on the 11th of February, with the collaboration of the Executive Director of the SNS Fernando Araújo and the Minister of Health Manuel Pizarro. The second session was in Évora on April 1st and was attended by the Rector of the University, the Secretary of State for Inclusion of People with Disabilities and the Secretary of State for Health.
On the 12th of May, the third session of the General States will be held at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra. The director of the Faculty of Economics, Álvaro Garrido, will be welcomed, accompanied by Maria de Belém Roseira and Victor Ramos from the Health Foundation – SNS. Afterwards, Maria Manuel Leitão Marques will make a presentation on the European space for health data, an initiative aimed at improving European access to health.
The morning table will focus on social participation, universal access and equity in health, and the afternoon table will deal with the themes of proximity and integration of care, as well as health information at the service of people. The participatory spaces will complement the morning and afternoon tables and will encompass areas such as health, cohesion and territory, caring for informal caregivers, the proximity delivery of medicines, the relationship of older people with the SNS, the integration of migrants and refugees, home care and support for the homeless. It will end with the approaches of a user committee and the role of health students.
Registration for the Coimbra session is open at https://forms.gle/gCsytSRhQQ8HFK91A.