The National School of Public Health of NOVA University of Lisbon (NOVA NSPH) welcomed a delegation from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) for a morning of discussions dedicated to reflecting on and sharing experiences about the health systems of Portugal and the United States.
The session, held on 9 September, was opened by Rui Santana, Deputy Dean of NOVA NSPH, who gave a brief presentation of the School, highlighting its mission in education and research, as well as its impact on the community through close engagement.
This was followed by a presentation from Cláudia Almeida, a research fellow at NOVA NSPH, who provided an overview of the Portuguese health system. She explained the functioning of the National Health Service (SNS), as well as its coordination with the private and social sectors. She also highlighted the current importance of the SNS 24 contact centre, which allows citizens to receive immediate medical guidance from home. Finally, she referred to the Local Health Units (ULS), emphasising their role in the organisation of the system over the past two years. This message was then echoed by Joana Seringa, also from NOVA NSPH, who reinforced the importance of care integration and the exchange of information among the different public units.
After this first part, there was an opportunity for networking with NOVA NSPH doctoral students.
In the second part of the programme, representing the United States, Amy Landry, Professor at UAB and Director of the Executive DSc in Healthcare Leadership programme, presented the main characteristics of the American health system. She pointed out the high cost of medical education, which contributes to an ageing medical workforce, and identified the unequal distribution of professionals as one of the challenges in access to healthcare. She concluded by highlighting the absence of a single authority responsible for coordinating the health system, which creates management difficulties.
Throughout the morning, the meeting was marked by strong interaction between speakers and participants, fostering a joint and dynamic reflection on the challenges and opportunities of both systems. The session concluded with a group photograph in the School’s gardens, symbolising the strengthening of international cooperation.
