Audit is starting with units in Castelo Branco, Western Lisbon and Alto Alentejo
Portugal’s health watchdog is taking a hard look at the country’s Local Health Units (ULS), kicking off a nationwide audit that will scrutinise the leadership, spending, and patient care in all 39 units.
The General Inspectorate of Health Activities (IGAS) confirmed the audit began this week, starting with units in Castelo Branco, Western Lisbon, and Alto Alentejo.
The review will cover all of 2024 and the first half of 2025, with inspectors also free to dig into past or future records if needed. The goal is to assess whether how well-run these units really are, and whether they’re putting citizens at the centre of their decisions.
Five key areas will be inspected as part of the audit: Strategy and Planning; People Management; Financial Sustainability; Quality of Services; and Citizen Centricity.
The sweeping inspection comes in the wake of the 2023 health reform, when the former Socialist government rolled out the Local Health Unit model nationwide. Since January 2024, all of Portugal’s hospital and primary care networks have operated under this structure, grouped by geographic area.
The spotlight on ULSs has only grown since September 2024, when Health Minister Ana Paula Martins launched a Technical Commission, chaired by ex-Minister Adalberto Campos Fernandes, to explore how ULSs tied to universities can better integrate medical education and research. Next week, Loulé is due to inaugurate Portugal’s first University Hospital Centre, integrated with the Algarve’s Local Health Unit.
