The day after the resignation of the executive director of the National Health Service (SNS), Fernando Araújo, the parliamentary leader of the PS, Alexandra Leitão, confirmed that the party will summon the minister of supervision, Ana Paula Martins, and Fernando Araújo to the parliamentary health committee, as she had announced on Tuesday.

Alexandra Leitão said that it is necessary to "clarify the reasons for this departure to the country", and also "try to understand what the Ministry of Health intends to do", warning that "we may be witnessing a logic of reversing a reform that was underway and has not yet been evaluated".

The leader of Chega, André Ventura, considered that the resignation of Fernando Araújo "makes it very clear how this executive direction was always unnecessary", since, despite its existence, it did not stop "the increase in the number of people without a family doctor" and "consultations and hospitals did not improve".

"I would say that the Government should seize this opportunity, and this is what Chega urges the executive to do, to annul the position of executive director of the SNS, because in fact it serves no purpose", he asked, in addition to announcing that the party will "request in writing" explanations about the resignation of Fernando Araújo.

For the Liberal Initiative (IL), deputy Mário Amorim Lopes stressed that the party does not oppose Fernando Araújo remaining in office, as he is a "competent person, recognized by his peers, suitable", and argued that "it would not make sense" for the executive management of the SNS to be extinguished.

"It was created a year ago, but its statutes took a year to be drafted. Therefore, it makes no sense to be revisiting this structure now, which is necessary: it is important to depoliticize health, it is important that technical decisions are not influenced by ideological visions of health", he argued, expressing hope that the Government "does not now focus on revisiting the organic structure of the Ministry of Health".

On the contrary, the parliamentary leader of the PCP, Paula Santos, stressed that the party has always opposed the creation of the executive management of the SNS and "reality has proven that it did not provide the necessary response to the National Health Service (SNS)".

"Quite the contrary. In certain circumstances, it reduced capacity: emergencies are an example, the creation of Local Health Units (ULS) is another", she said.

In the same vein, BE deputy Isabel Pires also criticized the creation of the executive management of the SNS, considering that it "served as a screen for the ministry to hide behind and shield itself from the responsibilities of political decision-making" in health matters, the party still not understanding the "validity and usefulness" of the body.

"And we are very concerned that the current Government, the Minister of Health herself, only tells us that there will be a paradigm shift in health policies. We do not know what this means, we do not even know what it means for the existence or not of the executive management itself", she said, considering that one can only fear.

Livre deputy Paulo Muacho stated that, from Fernando Araújo's statement, it can be inferred that he decided to resign "so as not to be sand in the gears of the Government's new policies", and argued that the executive needs to clarify "what these policies are".

"The Government and the minister need to clarify whether they want to review this organic structure that is just over a year old and how they intend to do so", he said, considering that, before there are any resignations, an assessment of the functioning of the executive management should be made.

For the CDS, deputy Paulo Núncio stated that, from what is public, it is only known that the Minister of Health asked the executive director of the SNS to prepare an activity report and the executive director of the SNS, "instead of submitting the report, decided to submit his resignation".

"It is a decision that is up to him alone. As for the issues of health policy, they are the responsibility of the executive director, as for the issues of health policy, these issues are the exclusive responsibility of the Minister of Health, the CDS will not replace it", he said.

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