The Ministry of Health clarified, this Friday, that the responsibility for the financial burden with the provision of care in the National Health Service (SNS) to foreign nationals temporarily residing in Portugal is not borne by the SNS.
The clarification comes from the Ministry of Health following the news published by the weekly newspaper “Expresso”, Friday, that there are foreigners using SNS to access expensive treatments.
According to “Expresso”, there have been frequent cases of foreign pregnant women who do not live in Portugal and who arrive at hospitals and maternity wards only to give birth in recent months.
“The phenomenon was identified by the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) and ended up in the arms of the Anti-Terrorism Unit of the Judicial Police (PJ), which maintains sensitive files related to suspected immigration cases, due to the announcement of the termination of the SEF,” the weekly writes.
Doctors also make other diagnoses about free research, says Expresso, adding that more foreigners are resorting to temporary registration, giving only their name and address, a person and even a hotel, to ask for vaccines, medicines or treatments, especially those in countries that are uninsured or Expensive.
Among the most requested are antiretrovirals, pre-exposure therapy for HIV (PrEP), and medications for diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
In response to a question from Lusa on this issue, MS clarified that the use of SNS assumes the attribution of the national user number which links, among other provisions, the existence of a so-called “third payer”, a situation that applies, for example, to cases of persons with temporary residence in Portugal.
According to the ministry, 1,560,468 foreigners are registered in the National Register of Users (RNU), of whom 457,436 correspond to the so-called “third payer” situation, which are cases “in which citizens receive public health services, but in that the financial responsibility for Fees arising from this provision are not the responsibility of SNS.
“Social security services play a central role in ensuring the right to access health care in Portugal, within the framework of a welfare state based on the principles of equity, solidarity and perks at the time of service, thus ensuring the provision of reliable, timely and quality health care to those who need it, regardless of about their economic, social, geographical and even normal condition from the point of view of legality, in the case of immigrants,” he said.
He also stresses that “one of the teachings of the pandemic is that health is becoming increasingly global and interdependent, and therefore major health challenges require coordinated and clear responses between countries, just as responding to individual needs requires international solidarity and cooperation.”
The Ministry of Health adds that the organizational model of the social security system is assumed to be “a basic service for the promotion and protection of the health of citizens and the protection of public health”, including administrative issues that promote Portugal as a country of solidarity that integrates everyone and everyone.
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