According to data from the Nova School of Business and Economics’ healthcare access survey, between 2022 and 2025, the likelihood of using only public healthcare decreased, although the vast majority (83.52%) of the population continued to rely solely on the SNS.

Between 2022 and 2025, the probability of exclusive use of the SNS decreased from 90% to 82%, which, according to researcher Carolina Santos, “may reflect the difficulties in accessing SNS healthcare.”

The data also show that, in 2025, 15% of the surveyed population had a private-sector family doctor, indicating that Portuguese people are seeking alternatives to overcome barriers to accessing public healthcare.

In the SNS, the most frequently sought services are primary health care. Researchers also highlight the "significant increase" in the use of the SNS 24 helpline, due to the expansion of the "Call first, save lives" program, which contributed to reducing the demand for emergency services in the SNS.

They also report that the reduction in SNS emergency department visits did not result in increased demand for emergency services in the private sector, but rather in greater use of primary health care in the SNS and in consultations in the private sector.

The data indicate that the percentage of people seeking professional help who contact the private sector increased from 11.8% in 2023 to 15.5% in 2025. They also show that, when faced with an illness, people with a family doctor in the private sector are more likely to seek professional health care solely in the private sector.

Asked whether there is a risk that people will be diverted to the private sector and that the SNS will increasingly provide healthcare to the most disadvantaged, the researcher agrees, stressing that this scenario “is not ideal.”

“It is obviously not desirable in a society where the SNS is the healthcare provider for the entire resident population, regardless of financial conditions,” said Carolina Santos.

The researcher also added another dimension: “We all contribute to the SNS through taxes, and those who cannot access it and end up, through direct expenses or through voluntary private insurance, accessing healthcare in the private sector are incurring duplicate expenses.”

"There are always taxes that are still allocated to the National Health Service,” she reminded.

The access survey also shows that, between 2023 and 2025, the perception of having been treated with dignity, compassion, and respect increased significantly for the population aged 80 or older, with 85% reporting a positive experience (70% in 2013).

Even so, the researchers emphasise that, globally, satisfaction with the humanisation of care remains below levels recorded during the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods.

"The scarcity of resources and the failures that have been reported in the media will, in fact, tend to affect the notion of being treated with dignity, compassion, and respect," the researcher considered.