Fines of more than 454 thousand euros to healthcare institutions in Portugal in six months: ERS concluded 143 files

Portuguese Health Regulatory Authority ERS finalized 143 administrative sanction files regarding public and private healthcare institutions in the first six months of 2026. While the total fines imposed exceeded 454 thousand euros, the investigations covered different areas from licensing to the complaint book and advertising of health services. Renascença

The data shows that healthcare in Portugal is regulated not only in terms of clinical practices, but also in terms of consumer rights and administrative obligations.

Direct fines were imposed in 74 cases

According to the data announced by ERS, 74 of the 143 completed cases resulted in fines.

Voluntary payment requests were accepted in 44 files.

Apart from this, warning sanctions were applied in three files, three files were closed, 17 files were merged with other processes and notification could not be made in two files. Renascença

Of the total 454 thousand euros, approximately 367 thousand euros resulted from direct fines and approximately 87 thousand euros from voluntary payment processes.

Both public and private health institutions are inspected

ERS' authority is not limited to private hospitals or clinics.

The regulatory body can inspect public and private healthcare providers regarding various obligations.

The files in the first half include licensing of healthcare institutions, Livro de Reclamações, that is, complaint book obligations, and advertising practices in the field of healthcare. There were topics such as. Renascença

This detail is also important for foreigners receiving health care in Portugal; Because in a dispute with a private clinic or hospital, the fact that the healthcare institution is private does not mean that it is completely outside regulatory control.

The penalty amount is less than the previous six-month period

ERS imposed fines of over 660 thousand euros within the scope of 184 administrative sanction files in the second half of 2025.

The total in the first half of 2026 is below this level in terms of both the number of files and the amount of penalties.

However, it is not possible to directly interpret this data as "violations have decreased". Since the number, type and penalty amounts of finalized files may differ from each other, it may be misleading to draw definitive conclusions based only on the total amount between periods.

What can a patient do if he/she has a problem with a healthcare provider?

People receiving healthcare services in Portugal can complain through Livro de Reclamações as well as through the healthcare institution's own complaint mechanisms.

ERS is one of the main institutions where regulatory applications regarding healthcare providers can be made.

In particular, it may be useful for people who have disputes regarding billing, access to service, patient rights or the operation of the organization to keep appointment documents, invoices, correspondence and applications for the next process.

143 files in the first half of 2026, It shows that the regulatory mechanism continues to be actively used in both the public and private health sectors.

Resources

Renascença / Lusa — Regulador da saúde aplica quase 500 mil euros de coimas no primeiro semestre de 2026 — 9 September 2026

Renascença direct news

ERS — Entidade Reguladora da Saúde

ERS official site