The Portuguese Parliament approved this Thursday several proposals presented by right-wing and extreme right-wing parties to restrict the access of foreigners and children of migrants to public healthcare.
These drafts must now be detailed and approved by the legislative commissions and will have to be voted on again by the plenary session for final approval.
One of the projects has been presented by the two parties present in the Government of Luís Montenegro, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the CDS-PP, and suggests an alteration of the current legislation to establish that only foreigners with legal residence in Portugal can be beneficiaries of the National Health Service (SNS).
Those without residency must present proof that they have medical coverage in their own country or place of residence, with the exception of emergency medical services.
The initiative went ahead with the support of both parties together with the votes of the far-right Chega party, which also presented several projects approved this Thursday and that will now go to parliamentary commissions.
One of them contemplates that foreigners from countries outside the European Union and who are not residents of Portugal cannot benefit from the SNS, although they could access the public system through a prior payment for their services.
However, the most extreme draft proposed by Chega has not been voted on this Thursday. His project seeks to alter the nationality law and “combat certain social phenomena such as health tourism,” for which he advocates tightening the criteria for naturalization in the country.
The text contemplates that children of foreigners can obtain a Portuguese passport when at least one of the parents was born in Portugal and has legal residence for at least three years at the time of birth; and if neither parent is a native of the country, it is necessary to be a legal resident for at least five years.
These residence periods are longer than those established by current law and would make the requirements for obtaining Portuguese nationality difficult.
#Portugal #limit #access #public #health #irregular #immigrants #foreigners #resident #country
