Family doctors criticize restrictions on subsidized obesity medication

The state will subsidize obesity medications by 15% starting in February 2027, but access is restricted to patients treated in hospital consultations and prescribed by specific specialties within local health units. Published on 22 October 2025, the ordinance requires patients to be followed in hospital non-surgical care units with multidisciplinary teams, excluding primary care prescription. The Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine criticized the rules, warning that forcing hospital referrals will overwhelm hospital consultations and deny subsidized access to many patients.