“The establishment of financial responsibility allows the Portuguese State to obtain reimbursement for expenses if a responsible financial entity is found”, said Manuel Pizarro to Lusa agency, at the end of a hearing at the Parliamentary Health Committee.

Asked which entity was responsible, Pizarro replied: “I don’t know.”

But he added that this entity could be Social Security, an insurance company or a mutual fund, and it is not necessary for Portuguese citizens residing abroad to hold a European Health Insurance Card, which allows access to healthcare in other States of the Union.

At issue is the application of an order (no. 1668/2023) that “defines the rules of organisation and management mechanisms relating to the National User Registry (RNU), as well as the rules for registering citizens in the SNS and enrolment in primary health care”.

The new rules determine that Portuguese people with tax residence abroad will have their registration moved to “inactive”, even those who frequent the services.

In addition to no longer having a family doctor, if they do have one, these users will have to bear the cost of care: “On inactive registration, with the exception of death situations, the condition of responsibility assumed by the citizen applies”, reads the order.

According to Manuel Pizarro, “what this order clarifies is that, regardless of freedom of access, regardless of whether any Portuguese citizen residing abroad is charged any bill for using the SNS, the Portuguese State has the right to seek to verify whether there is any responsible financial entity from which you can receive reimbursement”.

If it is not possible to identify this entity, “nothing happens”, he said, adding that the expense is “evidently” borne by the SNS.

“There is no charge to any Portuguese citizen”, he stressed.