The level of dissatisfaction with the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) also rose, with the percentage of participants who declared themselves not satisfied increasing from 52.2 percent to 61.7 percent between July 2022 and November 2023, shows the study, which aimed to evaluate current topics namely prescriptions regarding the SNS, comparing data with the results obtained in July 2022.

In accordance with the analysis, 39.1 percent of respondents reported being “very unsatisfied” with the Government and 22.8 percent with the Directorate-General for Health regarding the current management of the SNS.

On the other hand, the majority of participants declare themselves satisfied (55.7 percent) with the performance of SNS doctors, nurses and auxiliary technicians, despite the decrease of six percentage points compared to July 2022 (61.7 percent).

When questioned about the possible consequences of the current conflict between the Government and SNS doctors and nurses, the majority of participants revealed a high degree of concern about the possible decrease in the quality of healthcare.

More than half (52.8 percent) say they agree with the statement “I am concerned that these conflicts will lead to a reduction in the quality of healthcare” and 84 percent agree with the statement, “I am worried that if I have a health problem, I will not get the necessary assistance”, with around half (47.6 percent) strongly agreeing.

Eight out of ten respondents also stated they were afraid this situation would affect their quality of life, and 74.9 percent said they were worried this conflict would lead to an increase in healthcare prices.

The sample included the participation of 1,000 respondents, aged between 20 and 75 years old, which compared to national proportions collected in the 2021 Census, “is quite similar, only with a higher proportion of individuals between 50 and 59 years old, and a lower quantity of adults between 60 and 69 years old, given the collection characteristics of the online panel studies”.