In the area of modern healthcare, Portugal has been particularly successful in recent years. The inhabitants of this country have always had a long life expectancy, often reaching the mark of 80 years or more. In recent years, national health care has also become widely available to foreigners. In the European Medical Index, which measures patient awareness, accessibility to services, speed of service delivery, and health outcomes for citizens, Portugal moved closer to the top 10, while previously it was only 25th on the list. Already, it is ahead of the UK, Spain, Italy and Ireland in these parameters. It should be noted that medicine here is supported from the state budget less than in other EU countries.
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Free medicine
The right to access the free Portuguese health care system is subject to resident status, which means that medical care is available not only for local residents, but also for foreign citizens who have moved to the country for permanent residence and are here legally. Under certain conditions, this also applies to non-working residents, such as unemployed, pensioners or dependents.
The Portuguese National Health System (SNS) is the main government agency that governs the medical sector in the country. To be eligible for treatment in public health clinics, a resident must register with the junta de freguesia, the local authority for the place of residence. After receiving a certificate of this, as well as with a visa and a resident card, you must come to the district clinic (centro de sade). There will be issued a number of the medical institution (nmero de utente), which will subsequently need to be shown in order to receive free treatment in public health facilities. Payment is required only in cases of visiting emergency rooms, and in some cases it will be necessary to pay for an appointment with a family doctor (5-20 euros). In Portugal, there are public clinics and hospitals even in the smallest cities.
Health insurance programs
The private healthcare system in Portugal works alongside the public healthcare system, with some doctors working in both sectors. Private GPs, private specialist doctors and private hospitals can be covered by private health insurance. In this case, a consultation with a doctor will cost about 40-50 euros, besides, it will be much easier to get an appointment - the waiting time for an appointment in private clinics is usually small, and the list of services provided, as a rule. Moreover, in this case, the chance of getting to an English-speaking doctor is much higher, which is very important for foreigners.
Therefore, even if expats have the opportunity to use free medicine for free, they often take out policies for themselves under the private health insurance program. In addition, some people feel that public health care is inadequate for their needs. This also applies to local residents - about 20% of Portuguese also choose private health insurance in addition to free treatment. This helps pay for all additional services not included in the state health care system and gives the right to treatment with private doctors.
The basic list of the insurance policy, as a rule, includes hospitalization and surgery. Extended coverage may include specialist appointments, tests and analyzes, physical therapy, and childbirth and dental treatment. Some health plans may even include eye care, prosthetics, other special care, and treatments. Private insurance in Portugal can cost between ˆ 20 and ˆ 50 per month, depending on age and coverage. The annual price for the basic plan will be from 400 euros, in the case of the "all inclusive" option, the cost will be from 1000 euros per year.
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Medications
Public health insurance in Portugal partially covers some of the costs of prescription drugs, the rest is covered by the patient. It depends on which subsidy level the drug belongs to. For example, the maximum coverage is for medicines recognized by the Ministry of Health as vital for patients. The country has a clear gradation according to four classes of drugs, the spending on which is partially compensated by the state budget (90% - class A, 69% - class B, 37% - class C, 15% - class D). There are also subsidized prescriptions for people over 65, where patients typically pay 40 to 100% of the cost of the optional prescription drugs.
Clinics in Portugal
In Portugal, medical tourism is widespread, which attracts residents of Europe, as well as from the USA, China and the CIS countries. Foreign patients here appreciate the good attitude, the qualifications of the medical staff, relatively low prices for treatment, excellent climate, inexpensive and high-quality service. Every year in Portuguese clinics, about 10,000 patients from other countries are treated, and this figure is growing every year.
The advanced medical areas of Portuguese medicine are: oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, aesthetic surgery. National ophthalmologists are officially recognized as one of the best in Europe: at annual professional conferences, the research of this country's specialists is one of the most advanced in the field of vision treatment and correction.
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Most of the large medical centers have the latest technical innovations that significantly improve treatment results. Many hospitals in the country have Da Vinci robots that allow complex operations that are physically impossible to perform using manual surgical techniques. The operation is performed from microscopic incisions up to 1 cm in size. The use of this equipment can significantly reduce the percentage of complications after surgery. Large clinical centers also have equipment such as a gamma knife, which allows surgery to remove tumors without incision or bleeding.
Famous clinics
The Espregueira Mendes Clinic in Porto is the expert center for orthopedics and traumatology. Her main areas of work include sports medicine, orthopedic surgery, physical therapy and rehabilitation. It is the only hospital in the Iberian Peninsula that is accredited as a FIFA Medical Center.
The Porto CRP Radiotherapy Clinic is also in great demand - it is the best option in the country for the treatment of related diseases. CNS Hospital is a specialized neurology and neurosurgery clinic that applies the most advanced and experimental technologies to combat Parkinson's disease, neurodegenerative diseases, strokes and the consequences of central nervous system trauma.
Popular in Europe is the CETI Fertility Center in Porto, which deals not only with the practical issues of treating the reproductive system in men and women, but also conducts scientific research and clinical trials in this area.
Thank you for your help in preparing the material:
Evgeny Berezin, CEO of MENU Portugal
Oksana Mateusz, CEO of Riviera Portugal
