Ministry of HealthGovernment

The Ministry of Health is the Portuguese government department tasked with defining, regulating, and executing the nation's public health policy and overseeing the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde, or SNS). Although health matters were initially grouped under the Ministry of Health and Assistance created in 1958, the modern, independent Ministry of Health was formally constituted in 1983. Its contemporary mandate is deeply rooted in the landmark Health Law of 1979, which established the universal, tax-funded SNS ensuring healthcare access for all residents.