These indicators are part of the Global Reference Framework (GRF) of the National Health Service (SNS), published in the Official Gazette, which foresees a 1.8% increase in the number of SNS workers this year.

The General Framework for Healthcare (GFC) published last year indicated an increase in the percentage of patients with an assigned family doctor, rising from 86% in 2024 to 91% this year and 98% in 2026.

This year, the document, signed by the Minister of State and Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, and the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, forecasts an increase in the production levels of the National Health Service (SNS), rising from a total of 47,177,203 medical consultations this year to 4,648,975 in 2026 and 48,125,465 the following year.

Forecasts

Forecasts also indicate a slight increase in the percentage of first specialist hospital consultations referred by Primary Health Care: 9.73% in 2025, 9.74% in 2026, and 9.75% in 2027.

An increase in the number of surgeries (778,020; 801,360 and 817,388) and a reduction in emergency room visits (4,994,888; 4,642,565; 4,315,094) are also projected.

Regarding quality indicators, the QGR (Quality Management Framework) forecasts a reduction in the rate of avoidable hospitalizations in the adult population per 100,000 residents (540.38; 510.00; 493.86) and an increase in the percentage of outpatient surgeries, patients discharged for home hospitalization, and the coverage rate of oncological examinations (14.95%, 33.20%, and 46.40%).

In terms of performance, the chronic disease monitoring index (hypertension, diabetes, and respiratory disease), which fell from 2024 to this year (from 75.70 to 74.24), should remain the same in 2026, rising to 74.95 in 2027.

The text of the dispatch also states that the process “was the subject of continuous dialogue with the Executive Directorate of the National Health Service, with the different institutions that make up the Ministry of Health and, in turn, between this and the Ministry of Finance”.