The health of the Portuguese over the last four decades

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present the health gains in Portugal from the 1970s onward, and how this evolution responds to Portugal’s 40 years of democracy, the country’s inclusion in the EEC/EU, the public investment made in health, and the generalized improvements experienced in the daily lives of the population (housing, education, and access to public services).Currently, Portugal is at the end of an epidemiological transition. Health indicators linked to communicable disease, infant mortality, maternal mortality, perinatal mortality and mortality in children from 1 to 4 years of age have decreased sharply and are in line with those seen in other countries of the European Union, and in some cases Portugal shows more favorable values.The impact of these gains has translated into an increase in life expectancy at birth of 14.0 years for men and 14.4 years for women for the 45 years of observations made (1974-2014). Despite the gains in Portugal verified by this indicator, the difference in life expectancy with regard to the EU continues to be quite evident given the increase in mortality associated with certain diseasesThe gains in health are the result of the implementation of public policies that have allowed for increased public access to a wide range of goods and services (e.g. housing sanitation, transport, education), with particular note going to the organized health care initiatives regarding the Portuguese National Health Service.