Montenegro says PSD is “closely linked” to the creation of SNS

The PSD president said this Thursday that the party is “closely linked” to the creation of the SNS, differs from the PS in that it advocates ties to the private sector and the social sector, and wants to standardize Model “B” family health facilities. in the country.

“Contrary to what is often said, PSD is closely related to the creation of SNS and the creation of the conditions that have made it work all these years,” said Luis Montenegro, who visited the Algueirão Mem-Martins Medical Center this morning. , in the municipality of Sintra, in Lisbon.

Asked about his presence at the meeting of the PSD parliamentary group this Thursday, the leader of the Social Democrats believes that the party “lives in times of unity and cohesion” despite some “differences of opinion” within the parliamentary group, which contrast with government “problems divisions and disagreements.

“The contrast between the cohesion and unity of the SDP with the problems of disunity and divisions in the government is very great,” he defended.

Montenegro believed that “if there is anything that can confirm this first year in power of this political leadership and this president of the SDP, it is that the SDP lives in a time of unity, cohesion, within the typical diversity of opinions, it is traditional and is even the prerogative of our party.”

The leader of the Social Democrats went back to 1979 and said that since then “the SDP has a vision that the SNS [Serviço Nacional de Saúde] it must work with a contribution, of course, a structural one, with the main support, equipment and professionals from the state, but with the contribution of the private sector, and now the social sector, which at that time did not have the same projection that it has today”,

“And today, as in 1979, we remain in the same line of thought, I dare say that today, with greater intensity, what was our idea, what distinguished us from the PS in that first moment, appears as absolutely decisive to be able to address this bottleneck that SNS has found itself in due to its inability to attract and retain human resources,” he said.

At the last stop of the tour, which began this week on health issues and will conclude this afternoon with a debate organized by the SDP in Parliament, during which the five recommendations of the executive’s Social Democrats will be discussed and voted, the president of the OSCH defends the creation of family centers model “B” health across the country.

“We recommend that the country standardize Model B family health care facilities that have management flexibility, performance reward mechanisms that create more opportunities to retain healthcare workers, in particular doctors, but not only, and nurses. and technical assistants,” he said.

When asked about the total cost of the 25 proposals for the health sector presented by the party this week, Montenegro replied that it had a “prepared quantification” but did not indicate the value, insisting several times that “it is important to define goals and paths.” .

The leader of the Social Democrats emphasized that increasing the value of social networks does not correspond to “increasing efficiency and responsiveness”, saying that financial conditions are important, “but first of all there must be efficiency.”

After an hour-long meeting with those in charge of the Algueirão Mem-Martins Medical Center, the head of the PSD noted “the paradox between the conditions that are offered” to users and professionals, since the facilities are in good condition and almost new, and “what is really available to citizens”, noting that at this polyclinic, users without a family doctor can only make an appointment on the first working day of each month, creating “endless queues”.

The Algueirão Mem-Martins Medical Center was inaugurated on April 25, 2021 by Prime Minister António Costa and according to the SNS “website” it has about 43,000 registered users, of which 32,000 do not have a family doctor.