Right to healthcare. Access. Constitution of the Portuguese Republic. National Healthcare System Service.

Abstract

In Portugal, the right to healthcare is enshrined in Article 64 of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, which, in its original form, is implemented through the enforcement of a national healthcare service and conditions (social, health, economic and cultural) that covers every citizen and contributes to the general improvement of living and working conditions. At the current level of healthcare delivery, the creation of the National Healthcare System (NHS) in 1979 was a major step in guaranteeing healthcare universally (for all), generally (all specialties) and free of cost. The purpose of this paper is to describe, through the exploration of published legislation and literature on this topic, the path of the right to healthcare from 1976 to present day, whilst considering various constitutional revisions and the creation of the NHS.