In Portugal, there are three coexisting systems: the national health system (SNS), special health insurance for certain professions (such as ADSE, which is a special system for government agents or SAMS for bank employees) and private health insurance, which are taken voluntarily by people, and complement the SNS.

The Ministry of Health, which defines the health-care policy and management of the SNS, assures the right to health protection to the entire population through the national system, meaning that all the institutions, health services and hospitals cover the whole Portuguese population; the SNS guarantees that the population has health services throughout Portugal. Other institutions are in charge of particular aspects, such as the Portuguese medicines regulatory entity (Infarmed), the central administration for the health system and regional health administrations that cover the whole of Portugal.

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