Health in Portugal

Portugal is a high-income country in Europe, with a population of over 10 million people. The country has made big steps in improving health over the years. People in Portugal can now expect to live about 82 and a half years, which shows how much better healthcare has become. Fewer babies and young children die now, and many health problems are being taken care of.

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

Key health statistics and heath trends

Life expectancy

Life expectancy in Portugal has gotten better 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. In 1970, about 6.9% of children didn’t make it to age five. By 1990, that number dropped to 1.5%, and by 2021, only 0.3% of children passed away before turning five. In Europe, the rate in 1990 was 1.6%, and worldwide it was 9.3%. Today, the rate in Europe is 0.4%, and around the world it’s 3.8%.

Infant mortality rate (how many babies pass away in their first year) has also dropped from 5.5% in 1970 to 0.3% in 2021. In Europe, it went from 1.3% in 1990 to 0.4% in 2021, and worldwide from 6.4% in 1990 to 2.8% in 2021.

This improvement is thanks to better healthcare, vaccination programs, public health campaigns, education, and economic growth in Portugal.

Maternal mortality ratio

The maternal mortality ratio in Portugal went down a little from 1990 to 2020, from 15 to 12. In Europe, it dropped from 34 to 8, and worldwide from 370 to 212. 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, which caused 88% of all deaths and 86% of years lived with disability. 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 26.54% of 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.

The data shows that things like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and obesity are big challenges for health in Portugal. This information helps create plans to improve health and reduce these problems.

Healthcare system

Portugal's National Health Service provides healthcare services through public hospitals. The system is universal, meaning everyone can use it, and it includes three parts: the national health service, special health plans for some jobs, and private health insurance.

The Ministry of Health creates health rules and manages special health plans. An independent group watches over all health services to make sure they follow the rules.

Portugal's health system was ranked 12th best in the world in a report from 2000. However, 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, each handling health for a different part of the country. The system gets money from the government and mostly 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 is a key part of the country's health policies. It sets goals to improve health, such as reducing early deaths, increasing healthy years of life, and cutting down on smoking and obesity in children. The plan was first made for 2012 to 2016 but was later extended to 2020 based on advice from the World Health Organization.

Portugal also has a national vaccination program. This program offers free vaccinations to everyone in Portugal. 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.