Monography «Health in Portugal»
Publication: 1st July 2007
Portuguese Directorate-General of Health
The Portuguese Directorate-General of Health has produced a book entitled ‘Health in Portugal’ aimed at providing politicians and senior officials of EU Member States with information on the health system in Portugal and the health of the Portuguese population.
Patterns of the evolution of a range of health-related parameters over the last twenty years provide the basis for a description of the general status of heath of the Portuguese. Each chapter deals with a specific subject:
- socio-demographics provides a description of the demographic evolution of the country, the main demographic changes over the last twenty years and trends which can be detected on the basis of scenarios provided by population projections;
- the evolution of certain demographic variables, people’s perception of their own state of health, patterns of behaviour and lifestyles regarding the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, and issues of obesity and the consumption of drugs;
- the health system, its organisation, operation, and the physical, human and financial resources existing in the area of the provision of health care;
- the identification of main public health problems and their scope; specific actions and measures and contingency plans for the reduction or minimisation of impacts;
- the promotion of health throughout people’s life cycle and the specification of the main health problems which affect the Portuguese population; programmes and measures being carried out to deal with impacts;
- the control of communicable diseases, focussing on the National Vaccination Programme, and possible responses to a range of potential threats to health.
Contacts:
Francisco George, Director-General of Health and Chief Medical Officer (george@dgs.pt)