According to an order published in Diário da República, “immediate acquisition” was determined by all hospital and health units of the NHS and the Ministry of Health, “of medicines, medical devices and personal protective equipment”, to reinforce “Respective stocks by 20 percent, in relation to their annual consumption registered in 2019, in the respective units”.

The Government also decreed the adoption, by these entities, of “faster procurement procedures [of medicines and medical supplies], in accordance with the legal provisions for the realization of public expenditure”.

The Central Administration of the Health System also has to adopt the “mechanisms necessary for the respective financing”, the order continues.

Medicines, medical devices and personal protective equipment “deemed necessary for the assessment of suspected cases and for the treatment of symptoms and complications associated with Covid-19” must also be permanently updated by the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) and the National Authority for Medicines and Health Products (Infarmed).

The Minister of Health justifies the decision “given the international public health emergency” declared by the World Health Organization, so “it is important to continue to guarantee the conditions” for the treatment of this disease.

The WHO on 11 March declared Covid-19 disease as a pandemic.