The SDP brings the state of social media to today’s discussion so that there is “no doubt” about the starting point.

The SDP will debate the state of the NHS in Parliament this Thursday to ensure there is “no doubt” about the starting point left by the previous PS leader in a debate without government presence.

In a conversation with Lusa, the first vice-president of the PSD college and former president of the Order of Physicians, Miguel Guimarães, considered it important, during the change of government, to make “an overview of the state of health in Portugal.” .

“It is on the part of the National Health Service (NHS) to ensure there is no doubt about what we have and what we will have at the end of 2025,” he explained, saying that in this debate “what still matters is that made a PS.” .

Miguel Guimarães felt it was necessary to discuss how “the PS came out of the SNS, whether it was access to a family doctor, access to hospital care or funding.”

“In 2023, citizens already financed their own healthcare at the level of 35% of the global volume, which is more than double the average for the European Union,” he emphasized.

The MP said that at the moment “the largest provider of health services in Portugal is no longer SNS”, counting on the amount of 8 billion euros transferred from the state budget to pay for services from the social and private sector.

“What has happened in practice in recent years? We have never spent so much money on healthcare, either from direct money from the population or from the state budget. Now the PS was not competent in managing this money, the PS did not improve its ability to respond from social networks,” he criticized.

Even without the presence of Health Minister Ana Paula Martins, the PSD MP hopes that the debate will be able to contribute – from the various benches – to the emergency plan that the government has committed to present to the SNS by the next day. June 2 and for long-term reform of the health sector.

“We want the social network to become central to healthcare in Portugal, we need a truly more modern health service with a new management model,” he said, given that the current model “prevents the development and effectiveness of the social network itself.”

Some of the proposals are an SNS with “closer and expanded collaboration with the social and private sectors,” a more flexible Basic Health Law, major investment in equipment and innovation, and a rigorous assessment of local health unit (ULS) models. left as vice-president of the SDP parliamentary group, which leaves room for the remaining benches to also present ideas.

“This is an important debate that could help the health minister himself see what proposals are being put forward by different parties to adjust the planned emergency plan,” he said, adding that even “the PS may have a different vision than it had,” stating, that this happened in areas such as fees or taxes.