Leiria, Portugal, April 8, 2026 (Lusa) – Portugal's Health minister, Ana Paula Martins, said on Wednesday that there was currently no "reason for major concern" regarding a potential rise in medicine prices due to the international climate, but the country had to be prepared for such an eventuality.
"(…) For the time being, we do not yet have any reason for major concern, but we must be prepared", she told journalists at Santo André Hospital in Leiria.
The president of the Pharmaceutical Industry Association (APIFARMA), João Almeida Lopes, said that medicine prices in Portugal would inevitably rise at some point, due to inflation and political pressures, saying that these factors were driving a trend of European prices converging with those practised in the US, reported the newspaper Eco.
Eco also reported an interview with Jornal de Negócios and Antena 1 where Almeida Lopes said that the rising costs of oil, plastics, glass, and aluminium, alongside international tariffs, have been impacting medicines, placing direct pressure on manufacturing.
Paula Martins highlighted two key aspects of the interview: recognition that the international crisis, specifically regarding energy issues affecting all sectors, would inevitably impact the pharmaceutical industry; and that such an impact was not, for the time being, an issue.
Her visit to Leiria also marked the inauguration of a new Pacing and Electrophysiology unit, as part of the project to modernise the technology facilities of the Local Health Unit (ULS) in the Leiria Region.
The Recovery and Resilience Plan funded this investment, which amounted to approximately €7.5 million, to facilitate the purchase of a robotic surgery system featuring a synchronised operating table, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner, and a ceiling-mounted digital angiography system.
This equipment would provide more specialised and innovative healthcare responses, allowing for more precise treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, performing minimally invasive procedures with greater safety, monitor cardiac devices (pacemakers and defibrillators, amongst others), reduce patient transfers to other hospitals and waiting times for specialist procedures, according to the hospital.
Prior to the ceremony, the minister presented a plaque to health professionals to honour their "dedication and sense of mission" during Storm Kristin, praising the staff for ensuring the continuity of care and supporting the local population under the severe weather conditions.
SR/MYAL // AYLS
Lusa
