Decree-Law No. 61/2022 of 23 September 2022 establishes an Executive Directorate for the Portuguese SNS (Serviço Nacional de Saúde, National Health Service). The newly created body is a public institute composed of:
- Executive Director, with decision-making powers over integration of care and care provision, access to healthcare and patient rights, participation of patients in the SNS, and governance and innovation;
- Management Council, to aid the Executive Director;
- Strategic Council, for coordination and defining the strategy for the SNS, composed of the Executive Director, the President of the Central Administration of the Health System and the President of the Shared Service of the Ministry of Health;
- Assembly of managers, for consultation;
- Supervisor, for supervision and inspection.
The new body will be located in Porto. The Executive Director was announced by the Minister of Health on 23 September 2022 at a press conference. He is Fernando Araújo, a medical doctor and health manager, former Deputy Minister of Health between 2015 and 2018, and currently President of São João Hospital Centre, the biggest in the North region.
More information (in Portuguese):
Decree-Law No. 61/2022 of 23 September 2022 – Approves the organization of the SNS Executive Direction: https://dre.pt/dre/detalhe/decreto-lei/61-2022-201414019