Just over half of foreign residents have registered with local health centers.
In Portugal, roughly 882 thousand foreigners enrolled in health centers have been reported by Público. That's about half of the country's total 1.6 million foreign residents. Interestingly, the newspaper points out that of these registered foreigners, around 52,886 have missed some mandatory data. It's worth noting that financial responsibility for healthcare falls on the State when there's an up-to-date registration in the SNS (National Health Service).
Now, this mandatory update is causing some stir among activists, particularly the collective "Humans Before Borders". They've voiced their concerns, urging the Government not to implement any administrative decision that could lead to discrimination or an unfair restriction on the right to health.
As for the registration process, foreign residents who stay for longer than three months and have valid visions can join the SNS when they have a Social Security number and pay the relevant fees. Now, it's important to remember that the details of the concerns raised by "Humans Before Borders" aren't explicitly mentioned in the sources provided, but often in cases like this, organizations like theirs express worry about the potential exclusion of vulnerable foreign residents from accessing public healthcare due to administrative barriers or lack of adequate documentation.
For the record, short-term tourists (generally non-EU citizens) aren't permitted to register for public healthcare, while EU citizens can use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for medical treatment during their stay. In contrast, long-term and legal residents are the ones who can register with the SNS, provided they fulfill certain conditions, such as obtaining the necessary identification and paying related fees.
- The activist group, Humans Before Borders, has raised concerns over the mandatory data updates in Portugal's National Health Service (SNS), fearing it could lead to discrimination or unequal access to healthcare for certain foreign residents.
- In the realm of science and health-and-wellness news, a local newspaper reported that Portugal's SNS has 52,886 foreigners who have missing mandatory data, which has caught the attention of advocacy organizations like Humans Before Borders.
