The access of the population to healthcare is one of the central objectives of healthcare systems. This report focuses on evaluating this access for households with children (under 15 years old) in mainland Portugal. Based on survey data collected since 2013 by the Nova School of Business and Economics, it comparatively analyzes the access of these households in relation to households composed only of adults or individuals of working age.

Various dimensions of access are explored, including the decision to seek healthcare when facing an illness episode, as well as the presence of financial and non-financial barriers. The results reveal that, when considering characteristics such as socioeconomic status, households with children do not show significant differences in access to healthcare compared to other households. However, a clear socioeconomic gradient is observed, indicating that households in more disadvantaged strata are more likely to face access barriers to healthcare, regardless of the presence of children in the household.

We share with you some relevant data:

• In 2022, among households with children under 15 years old, a respondent from socioeconomic stratum E had a probability of not acquiring all the necessary medications almost three times higher than that of a respondent from stratum D (50.70% vs. 17.11%) and approximately twelve times higher than that of a respondent from strata A/B (50.70% vs. 4.22%).
• In recent years, there has been a preference for generic medications at the time of drug acquisition: in 2022, the probability of a respondent belonging to a household with children under 15 opting for a generic medication is 36.05% higher than the probability recorded in 2020.
• Among households with children under 15, the probability of a respondent not attending a consultation due to financial reasons increased from 2.14% in 2021 to 7.35% in 2022, corresponding to an increase of 243.38%.
• Both households with children under 15 and households composed only of adults or individuals of working age predominantly seek healthcare in the public sector.
• In 2022, 85.84% of respondents from households with children under 15 had a family doctor in mainland Portugal. However, there are significant geographical disparities: in Greater Lisbon, only 65.27% of respondents from households with children under 15 had access to a family doctor.

🌐 You can now download the report in Portuguese here.

This report is part of the Social Equity Initiative , a partnership between Fundación "la Caixa" , BancoBPI, and Nova School of Business and Economics.  

Authors of the study: Pedro Pita Barros e Carolina Borges da Cunha Santos