Portugal. Health system review

This comprehensive description of the Portuguese health system is part of a series of Health Systems in Transition (HiT) country reports, covering the entire European region as well as key OECD countries outside Europe. These reports provide an analytical description of a health system and of reform initiatives in progress or under development according to a standard format and analytical framework. These HiT health system reviews are a key element of the work of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and are produced by local experts in collaboration with Observatory staff.

HiTs examine different approaches to the organization, financing and delivery of health services and the role of the main actors in health systems. They also describe the institutional framework, process, content, and implementation of health and health care policies, highlighting challenges and areas that require more in-depth analysis.

Sections include: Geography and sociodemography; Political and economic context; Health status; Organizational structure; Decentralization and centralization; Patient empowerment; Health care financing; Health expenditure; Population coverage; Pooling; Purchasing; Payment mechanisms; Regulation and planning; Physical and human resources; Provision of services; Public health; Primary care; Hospital care; Emergency care; Social care; Palliative care; Mental health care; Dental care; Pharmaceuticals; Health care reforms; Assessment of the health system.