Portuguese CP criticises privatisation of hospitals

The announcement of the transfer of three more NHS hospitals to charitable institutions – Vila do Conde, Pombal and Seia – constitutes another step towards the privatization of healthcare. This is a process, already initiated by previous governments, that adds nothing to the NHS's capacity to respond, increasing the fragmentation of healthcare and reducing the capacity of public services.

In fact, handing over these hospitals to charitable institutions is not, strictly speaking, a transfer to the social sector, with its recognized relevant intervention in other areas, but rather an effective privatization, because in some cases it will only be a vehicle for the transfer to private healthcare groups and in others its operation will depend entirely on the hiring of professionals and service providers, with consequences for the continuity and quality of care. If there were any doubts, the recent announcement by the Pombal Charitable Institution that it will hand over the management of the Hospital to a private healthcare group shows that this will be the path. Similarly, in the already privatized Serpa Hospital, the Charitable Institution was preparing to hand over its management to a private company, which has, for now, been rejected by its members.

In a process where a large part of the contractual elements and justification were not disclosed, the Government is selling off structures that are important for the functioning of the National Health Service (SNS) in the regions in question, where significant investments with public resources have been made in recent years. At the Pombal Hospital, a project costing approximately 700 million euros is currently being completed.

Previous experiences demonstrate the error of this option. The example of the Serpa Hospital, handed over to the local Misericórdia (charitable institution) with the responsibility of maintaining a basic emergency service, several specialist consultations, and later an operating theatre, is a good illustration. The consultations do not function, the operating theatre, despite being inaugurated, has never functioned, and the emergency room opens sporadically, without any regularity.

Contrary to what the Prime Minister claims, this is not about increasing response capacity or leveraging existing resources, but rather about further crippling the National Health Service (SNS) and financing private businesses that are unrelated to the public and collective interest. The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) condemns these decisions and reaffirms its commitment to defending, strengthening, and restoring the SNS as a central instrument for guaranteeing the right to health for the population.