Restructuring of the National Health Service in Portugal: evaluation of the corporatization of the Portuguese public hospitals

Abstract

As a result of several pressures associated with the movement of New Public Management (NPM) for economic efficiency, started in the 1980s in the UK, Portugal has begun in the early years of the current century, a major restructuring of its National Health Service (NHS). As result of NHS reestruturation a large number of Portuguese public hospitals were converted into companies (limited companies) and later into "public entreprise entities". This article aims to describe the process of corporatisation of Portuguese public hospitals in the period between 2002 and 2005, and furthermore to analyse the impact of managerialism in the sector. The study evidences efficiency improvement in the hospitals converted into "public enterprise entities", although further analyses are needed to confirm this view.