Portuguese Health System, an Overview and a SWOT Review

Purpose: The aim of this work is to describe the Portuguese health system and to provide a SWOT approach of its present situation. In this way, a clear and simplified picture of the health system can be offered and some strategies are proposed to improve the functioning of the health system. The methodology used is descriptive, based on a literature review structured by SWOT tools and the WHO definition of a health system, and it is applied to Portugal. The strengths and weaknesses in the Portuguese health system are several and varied, and there are some threats and opportunities, too. The improvement of the Portuguese health system and Portuguese health population will have to consider the facts observed here. This work contributes to the better understanding about the current situation of the Portuguese health system.