Health in Portugal

Health in Portugal

Portugal is a wealthy country in Europe with over 10 million people. The country has improved a lot in health care over the years. People in Portugal can now expect to live about 82 and a half years. This shows how much better health care has become. Fewer babies and young children die now, and many health problems are being helped.

But there are still some health challenges. More people have long-term health issues, like heart problems and diseases we can’t see. Portugal also faces health risks from weather changes, like very hot summers and poorer air quality. The country’s National Health Service works to make sure everyone can get the health care they need, no matter where they live.

Key health statistics and heath trends

Life expectancy

Life expectancy in Portugal has improved over time. The latest numbers from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that people live about 81.2 years on average. Women live longer, about 83.9 years, while men live about 78.3 years.

Child and infant mortality rates

Child mortality rate (how many children pass away before turning five) has gone down a lot in the last 50 years. Thanks to better healthcare, vaccination programs, public health campaigns, education, and economic growth, fewer children pass away each year.

Maternal mortality ratio

The maternal mortality ratio in Portugal has gone down a little from 1990 to 2020. This ratio shows how many women pass away from pregnancy-related reasons for every 100,000 babies born.

Global Burden of Disease (GBD) in Portugal

By 2021, most health problems in Portugal were from long-term diseases. These diseases were also more common in 1990 but have kept increasing.

As shown, in 2021, 7 out of the 10 biggest reasons people pass away were long-term diseases. Of these, cardiovascular diseases caused many deaths. The two biggest of these were ischemic heart disease and stroke.

Cardiovascular diseases also cause a lot of disability. Other big reasons for disability include problems with muscles and bones, as well as mental health issues.

Healthcare system

Portugal's National Health Service gives healthcare services through public hospitals. The system is for everyone and has three parts: the national health service, special health plans for some jobs, and private health insurance.

The Ministry of Health makes health rules and manages special health plans. A special group checks that all health services follow the rules.

Portugal's health system was ranked 12th best in the world in a report from 2000. But it was also one of the more expensive systems for each person.

National Health Service

The National Health Service (NHS) makes sure everyone in Portugal can get healthcare, as stated in the constitution. It started in 1979.

The NHS is managed by a central office and five regional offices. The system gets money from the government and uses public hospitals and health centers. These centers give basic care to local areas, while hospitals handle more complex health needs. Some private groups also help provide extra care.

The Ministry of Health has a special phone line and website (www. saude24.pt) that works all day, every day. It gives advice on health problems, helps plan treatments, and gives general health information. People who call this line before going to the hospital get help faster when they arrive.

Health expenditure

In 2020, Portugal spent 10.6% of its government money on health. This spending helps reduce deaths among children and babies, supports mothers, and keeps the health system free and available to everyone.

Public health programs

The Portuguese National Health Plan helps improve health in Portugal. It has goals like reducing early deaths and increasing healthy years of life. The plan began in 2012 and was extended to 2020, following advice from the World Health Organization.

Portugal also has a national vaccination program. This program gives free vaccinations to everyone. It started in 1965 and was updated in September 2020. The program aims to protect people from serious diseases that can be prevented with vaccines.

Potential future impact of climate change on health

Portugal is one of the European countries most affected by climate change. This is because of its location, which makes it more likely to face problems such as droughts, forest fires, rising sea levels, and stronger storms.

We can already see some of these effects. For example, parts of land have been lost to the sea, and we have experienced unusually warm temperatures, long dry periods, heat waves, and powerful storms. These changes affect many areas, including health, farming, water supply, and how we manage our coasts.

Climate change will bring several health challenges. Heat waves are expected to happen more often and become more intense, which can be dangerous especially for older people, children, and those who are already sick. Warmer weather can also allow diseases carried by insects, like mosquitoes, to spread to new areas. This could mean more people getting sick from diseases that were not common before. High temperatures can also make air pollution worse, especially in cities, which can trigger breathing problems like asthma and make other lung conditions harder to manage. All of these issues put extra pressure on hospitals and health services.

Strategies to protect public health

Portugal has a plan to help protect people from these climate change effects. The plan includes warning systems for heat waves, watching for diseases spread by insects, monitoring air quality, and running education programs to raise awareness. Solving climate change needs efforts from everyone, from local communities to international leaders.