Several doctors working in primary health care services told Lusa News Agency that they had been informed that, as of 1 January, Portuguese nationals with a tax address outside Portugal will be considered "inactive".

This means that every time they use a Portuguese SNS service, they will have to pay the cost. Also, they lose the right to a family doctor.

Nelson Magalhães, Vice-President of USF-AN (Unidade de Saúde Familiar - Associação Nacional), told Lusa that the decision was announced to the units at a meeting held on 2 October with officials from the Central Administration of the Health System (ACSS) and the Ministry of Health's Shared Services (SPMS).

At stake is the application of an ordinance (no. 1668/2023) that "defines the rules and management mechanisms relating to the National User Register (RNU), as well as the rules for registering citizens in the SNS and for registering in primary health care".

Primary health care professionals are trying to contact patients in these circumstances, who react with some anger.

"I don't think it's fair. Although it's true that I live abroad at the moment, I still prefer to use healthcare in Portugal, since the language and familiarity make it easier, especially for some chronic health problems, for which I've always been treated in Portugal with the same family doctor who has been with me since I was a child," said a lady who currently lives in the Netherlands and who has already been informed that she will be leaving the SNS system.

She added: "I'm still Portuguese and I feel that this policy excludes me and will make it harder for me to access healthcare."

For Nelson Magalhães, there are a lot of people who "don't want to cut the link with their family doctor".

Nelson Magalhães highlighted that these Portuguese emigrants must have the European Health Insurance Card, which allows them to receive medical assistance during a temporary stay in a European Union country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.

The measure should affect hundreds of Portuguese, since out of a universe of 1,750 patients per family doctor, around 100 have emigrated.

The impact will also be felt on the income of doctors, who are paid according to the number of users on their lists and who, “in order to maintain the same amount, will have to include more patients and those new patients will be people who consume more services, which will make medical responses even more difficult".