Investment in the NHS resulted in a return of €9.5 billion

Investment in the National Health Service last year provided an economic return of 9.5 billion euros, 2.9 billion more than the 2023 figure, according to a study to which Lusa had access.

According to data from the Sustainable Health Index, developed by Nova Information Management School (Nova IMS), almost half of Portuguese people (46%) missed at least one day of work in 2024 for health reasons and 10.8% missed more than 20 days (6% in 2023).

However, the provision of healthcare by the NHS made it possible to avoid two days of absence from work, representing a saving of one billion euros.

The care provided by the NHS also made it possible to avoid the loss of 10.3 days of work per person, which translated into additional savings of 5.3 billion euros .

In total, adding the impact on absenteeism and productivity, the NHS enabled global savings of 6.3 billion euros through salaries.

Considering the impact of savings through wages and the relationship between productivity/remuneration (INE reference values), the study concludes that the care provided by the NHS allowed a return to the economy of 9.5 billion euros .

Speaking to Lusa, the study coordinator, Pedro Simões Coelho, explained: “The impact on absenteeism fell slightly (…) and the impact on productivity (…) grew very significantly, that is, overall, there has been an increase in the effect of the NHS on the economy , which has been felt, above all, through presenteeism”.

“And why? It has to do with the post-Covid phenomenon, which has led to more flexible work management , which can often be done remotely and, in recent years, the NHS has been contributing less to ensuring that people do not miss work, and more to ensuring that people do not lose their productivity due to the deterioration of their health and well-being”, he explained.

The study data indicate that the majority of Portuguese people (74%) consider their health status to be “good” or “very good”. When asked on a scale of 0 to 100, the Portuguese rated their health status at 75. Without the contribution of the NHS, this value would be only 66.6, which reveals a gain of 8.4 points directly attributed to the impact of the care provided .

The results will be presented this Tuesday, at the Belém Cultural Center, in Lisbon.