The role of the State, the private sector and the social sector in the different health political cycles in Portugal
Simões, J.; Fronteira, I.ês.
Ciencia and Saude Coletiva 26(Suppl 1): 2507-2513
2021
ISSN/ISBN: 1678-4561 PMID: 34133630 Document Number: 276297
The Portuguese health system comprises three critical sectors: The State, which intervenes as a regulator of the entire system, and as a planner, provider, and financer of the National Health Service (NHS); the social sector, with a relevant intervention, mainly in continued care; and the private sector, with an essential role in the provision of some types of care. During the last forty years, the State, social, and private sectors' roles have changed either in its definition or terms of the relationship between them. In general, it is possible to identify, and we shall present them in this opinion article, eight political cycles that reflect the political contexts in Portugal, and, consequently, the ideological framework of each cycle.