Immigration pressure, public-private partnerships, and surgical delays: Health Minister's parliamentary hearing

During a parliamentary hearing on the 2027 State Budget, Health Minister Ana Paula Martins stated that immigration growth — with foreign residents rising from roughly 748,000 in 2021 to about 1.6 million in 2025 — is adding pressure to the SNS, alongside an aging demographic. She acknowledged that surgical waiting lists have reached a record high of 284,000 people and announced that the new Access System for Consultations and Surgeries (SINACC) is now scheduled to start in January 2027, delayed from its initial August 2026 target. She also confirmed plans to advance further Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in hospitals and intends to amend the dispatch on additional surgical production.