Starting October 1st, the State will begin subsidising spa treatments by 35%, up to a maximum of 110 euros per user, reports the economic newspaper ECO, citing an ordinance published this Thursday, August 7th, in the Official Gazette.

"The State's contribution is 35% of the price of spa treatments, with a limit of 110 euros for each set of spa treatments. [...] Each spa treatment must last a minimum of 12 days and a maximum of 21 days," reads the ordinance published in the Official Gazette, which states that treatments must be prescribed by the National Health Service (SNS).

Consultations, steam, shower, or immersion treatments for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, rhinitis, asthma, psoriasis, high blood pressure, anaemia, vulvovaginitis, and psychiatric illnesses are some of the treatments and conditions that will now be subsidised.

The ordinance states that the Government estimates spending up to two million euros per year on subsidized spa treatments, which must be prescribed electronically, preferably in a paperless format, through the systems provided by SPMS – Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (EPE).

The Central Administration of the Health System "monitors the implementation of the scheme, ensuring the monitoring of the number of users, the types of thermal treatments and techniques, and the overall billed expenditure and expenditure per prescribing local health unit."

The prescription of thermal treatments will be evaluated annually, in the third quarter of each year, "under conditions to be defined by order," the ordinance published in the Official Gazette also states.

It should be noted that, in 2019, thermal treatments prescribed by health centres were once again subsidized by the State, after a hiatus of several years, when these treatments were suspended in 2011 due to the country's financial bailout.