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DownloadCOUNTRY: Portugal
KNOWLEDGE BROKER: Gilles Dussault, Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical , Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
SEPEN thanks the knowledge brokers for their contribution in checking and completing the country-information. SEPEN is accountable for the content of the country profiles.
| Type of information | Source | Year | Remarks |
| Table 1: Health workforce stock and replacement | OECD | 2018 | Age characteristics of the physician and nursing stock are not reported. |
| Figure 1: Mobility level in absolute numbers | OECD | 2018 | Only immigration data for OECD countries are available. The data produced are therefore incomplete. Not all OECD-countries register the country of origin of incoming health professionals and some do not register incoming health professionals at all. Emigration data are based on immigration numbers in other OECD-countries, as emigration as such is not registered nor reported. |
| Figure 2a: Number of practicing physicians per 1000 inhabitants | Eurostat | 2018 | Figure 2a presents regional distribution of physicians. Maps are formatted according to the NUTS classification obtained from Eurostat or recent national data provided by the key country informants. The national average is derived from the OECD/Eurostat databases, and the EU average from the “Health at a Glance: Europe” report published in November 2020. |
| Figure 2b: Number of practicing nurses and midwives per 1000 inhabitants | Eurostat | 2016 | Figure 2b presents regional distrubution of nursing and midwifery. Maps are formatted according to the NUTS classification obtained from Eurostat or recent national data provided by the key country informants. The national average is derived from the OECD/Eurostat databases, and the EU average from the “Health at a Glance: Europe” report published in November 2020. |
| Statistic | Number | Data Year |
| Total population | 10 276 617 | 2019 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81,5 | 2018 |
Source: Eurostat
| Licensed to practice | Practising | Professionally active | |||||
| Statistic | Number | Per 1000 inhabitants | Number | Per 1000 inhabitants | Number | Per 1000 inhabitants | Data year |
| Physicians | 52 966 | 5,15 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 2018 |
| > Generalist Medical Practitioner | Not reported | Not reported | 27 664 | 2,69 | Not reported | Not reported | 2018 |
| > Specialist Medical Practitioner | Not reported | Not reported | 26 814 | 2,61 | Not reported | Not reported | 2018 |
| Nurses | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 70 754 | 6,88 | 2018 |
| Midwives | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 2 896 | 0,28 | 2018 |
| Dentists | 10 896 | 1,06 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 2018 |
| Pharmacists | 16 658 | 1,62 | 9 353 | 0,91 | 13 478 | 1,31 | 2018 |
| Physiotherapists | Not reported | Not reported | 1 456 | 0,14 | Not reported | Not reported | 2018 |
Source: OECD
Not reported
| Name | Role | Website |
| ACSS | Responsible for the coordination and consolidation of information and statistics on human resources in the health sector | http://www.acss.min-saude.pt/ |
| Ordem dos Medicos (Medical Chamber) | Responsible for the registration of doctors | https://ordemdosmedicos.pt/ |
| Ordem dos Enfermeiros (Nursing Association) | Responsible for the registration of nurses | https://www.ordemenfermeiros.pt/ |
| Name | Role | Website |
| Ministry of Health | Regulatory body, defining and conducting national health policy, ensuring the sustainable application, use and evaluation of resources. | https://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/gc22 |
| Servico Nacional de Saude, (SNS) – National Health Service | Established by the Portuguese Constitution, the National Health Service of Portugal is a universal system, responsible for the protection of public health. The system is managed by the Central Administration of the Health System (ACSS). | https://www.sns.gov.pt/ |
| Name | Role | Website |
| Ordem dos Medicos (Portuguese Medical Association) | A professional association and public entity, serving as the regulatory and licensing body for medical practitioners in Portugal. The association is responsible for licensing to practice and maintains an autonomous disciplinary regime. | https://ordemdosmedicos.pt/ |
| Name | Role | Website |
| Ordem dos Medicos (Medical Chamber) | Responsible for the registration of doctors. | https://ordemdosmedicos.pt/ |
| Ordem dos Enfermeiros (Nursing Association) | Responsible for the registration of nurses. | https://www.ordemenfermeiros.pt/ |
Not reported
| Original name | Monitorização do SNS – Análise Mensal do Balanço Social – Trabalhadores por Grupo Profissional |
| Name in English | Monitoring of the national health system/Monthly Social Balance Sheet Analysis – workers by professional groups |
| Short description | Data warehouse of human resource information from the NHS made available as a result of the transparency portal concept. |
| Publication date | N/A |
| Link to full text | https://www.sns.gov.pt/monitorizacao-do-sns/analise-mensal-do-balanco-social/ |
| Original name | Decreto-Lei n.º 28/2008 de 22 de Fevereiro |
| Name in English | Decree-Law No 28/2008 of February 22 |
| Short description | Establishes the regime for the creation, structuring and operation of health centre groupings of the National Health Service |
| Publication date | 22 February 2008 |
| Link to full text | https://dre.pt/application/file/a/247597 |
| Original name | Plano Nacional de Saúde 2012-2016 |
| Name in English | National Health Plan 2012-2016 |
| Short description | Extended to 2020, the National Health Plan of Portugal comprises goals to train, develop and retain the health workforce in the national health service, valuing competency and professional quality. |
| Publication date | 2013 (2012-2016) |
| Link to full text | http://1nj5ms2lli5hdggbe3mm7ms5.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2013/12/vresumo-eng.pdf |
| Original name | Boletim Informativo Recursos Humanos Estrangeiros No Ministério da Saúde – Atualização de dados (2011 – 2015) |
| Name in English | Informative report foreign human resources at the Ministry of Health – Data update (2011 – 2015) |
| Short description | The newsletter on foreign human resources at the Ministry of Health (MS) aims to objectively update the data of foreign human resources who work for the Ministry of Health, and considers data from several years up to 2015. |
| Publication date | 20 September 2016 |
| Link to full text | http://www.acss.min-saude.pt//wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Boletim_RH_Estrangeiros_SNS_2011-2015-1.pdf |
| Original name | Decree-Law n.º 86/2015 |
| Name in English | Regulation of Medical Internship |
| Short description | Established by the Medical Internship Regulation to regulate and coordinate medical internship. |
| Publication date | 21 May 2015 |
| Link to full text | https://dre.pt/web/guest/pesquisa/-/search/67250272/details/maximized |
| Original name | Decree Law n. 40/2007 |
| Name in Englsih | Regulation for special entrance tests for admission to medical degree programmes |
| Short description | Regulating admissions to medical training programmes in Portugal. |
| Publication date | 20 February 2007 |
| Link to full text | https://dre.pt/pesquisa/-/search/517845/details/maximized |
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List of sources specific to this country:
National Health Plan 2012-2016 (2013). http://1nj5ms2lli5hdggbe3mm7ms5.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2013/12/vresumo-eng.pdf
OECD. (2017). Caring for Quality in Health Lessons Learnt from 15 Reviews of Health Care Quality. https://www.oecd.org/health/caring-for-quality-in-health-9789264267787-en.htm
EAHC/2013/Health/07 Study concerning the review and mapping of continuous professional development and lifelong learning for health professionals in the EU. https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/workforce/docs/cpd_mapping_report_en.pdf
Last updated: 10 October 2020
The country fiches are produced under the EU Health Programme 2014-2020 under a service contract with the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (Chafea) acting under the mandate from the European Commission. The information and views set out in the country sheets are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission/Executive Agency. The Commission/Executive Agency does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study.
Neither the Commission/Executive Agency nor any person acting on the Commission’s/Executive Agency’s behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.
This website was produced under the EU Health Programme 2014-2020 under a service contract with the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (Chafea) acting under the mandate from the European Commission. The information and views set out in this website are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission/Executive Agency. The Commission/Executive Agency does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this website. Neither the Commission/Executive Agency nor any person acting on the Commission's / Executive Agency's behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.