The Ministry of Health said in a statement that two new Family Health Units opened on Friday in the districts of Paranhos and Vendas Novas, completing the 30 established for this year.

According to the Ministry of Health, 94% of Portuguese citizens have a family doctor attributed to them, representing almost 9.5 million citizens.

The national coordinator for the reform of primary health care, Henrique Botelho, said there are three regions in the country where at least 94% of the population is covered by a family doctor - the southern Alentejo region, the centre and north.

However the capital Lisbon and the Vale do Tejo region were the worst affected Botelho added.

The new health units opened today will cover over 17,000 patients potentially.