New health rules “discriminate against immigrants”

The Humans Before Borders (HuBB) collective has challenged changes to the rules for registering with the National Health Service (SNS), considering them a risk to society and an attack on immigrants’ rights.

Speaking to Lusa, Ana Logrado, a doctor who works with HuBB, explained that the new rules will not solve the problem of access to the SNS and will exclude the most vulnerable in society, particularly immigrants.

“A series of difficult situations for the SNS are identified and at the expense of these situations, measures are being taken that actively exclude certain populations, which are being used as a kind of scapegoat, with the justification that, by resolving issues related to very specific populations, they will solve the problems of the SNS”, said the doctor.

“What is happening, with these orders, is that people who do not have a valid residence permit are automatically excluded from the possibility of registering for primary health care,” the doctor highlighted.

By December, the publication of the regulations for the rules that now come into force was expected, but this did not happen, which “leaves room for each technician working in a health unit to interpret what is in the orders in their own way”, because they did not receive “clear instructions”.

“At this moment, we have people residing in Portugal who previously had a valid residence permit, but which has expired, and who are waiting to be called by AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum) to regularise their residence permit again” and are prevented from accessing services.

In a statement, HuBB calls on the government to ensure that “no administrative decision results in discrimination or unjustified restriction on the right to health”, advocating the safeguarding of access, regardless of each person’s status and the clarification of rules, among other issues.

HBB also warns about “respecting users’ privacy, preventing the sharing of medical data with entities responsible for decisions on removal and visa refusal”.

The orders that come into force foresee that “foreign citizens may be removed from a family doctor’s list if they have not had an appointment in the last five years and this risk does not apply to national citizens”, added Ana Logrado, considering this measure a “violation of constitutional rights”.

According to the HuBB, “the measures established by Order No. 14830/2024 and Order No. 40/2025 introduce administrative barriers that may compromise the universal right to health and aggravate the exclusion of vulnerable populations”.

Therefore, “given the impact of these measures, we demand the repeal of these measures and a clear commitment to the universal right to health, regardless of nationality or residence status,” the collective added.