Around 200 people, including health professionals, have been demonstrating outside the Ministry of Health today to mark World Health Day.
Waving banners, and shouting long-used slogans about “health is a right” and “the struggle (to maintain state health care) continues”, the various people taking part used balloons of various colours to highlight the need to ‘defend’ the SNS national health service, and not allow it to be consistently weakened and reduced.
A week after the government ‘changed the goalposts’ on heart and cancer surgeries (extending the time patients must wait), union leader Sebastião Santana (Frente Comum) put the demonstration’s feelings into words:
“We have repeatedly emphasised the need to value the SNS health service” (the creation of which, in 1979, was) “a giant leap forward for society” in Portugal, but which “due to disinvestment and appalling health management policies over the last few decades” is now falling desperately short.
“We are witnessing unimaginable things, from massive waiting lists for consultations and operations, to the nearly two million patients without a GP, and women giving birth by the side of the road (…) As far as the government is concerned, apparently everything is fine, everything is working spectacularly well (…) No, it isn’t. And the responsibility lies with those who govern this country, and those who continue to ensure that half the health budget goes straight to the private sector.”
In the hurly burly of news dissemination today/ this week, this protest, supported by the movement of health service users (MUSP), will probably get very little coverage, particularly as it is saying what has been said for years – without succeeding in bringing about any substantial improvements.
Source material: Lusa
