Portugal's Health Fraud Commission Sends Public Procurement Cases to Prosecutors and Audit Court
The CCF-SNS has forwarded public-procurement investigations to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Court of Auditors after uncovering irregularities.
The Comissão de Combate à Fraude no SNS, chaired by judge Carlos Alexandre, began operating eight months ago to coordinate fraud detection across Portugal’s Serviço Nacional de Saúde. After analysing contracts and spotting irregular prescribing and device dispensing, the commission compiled a dossier on public-procurement irregularities and forwarded it to the Ministério Público, which will assume criminal prosecution, and to the Tribunal de Contas for audit.
The commission also sent recommendations to the implicated organisations and identified critical weaknesses such as reactive mechanisms and insufficient internal controls. These findings shaped the priorities of its 2026-2029 Action Plan and a 2026 activity schedule, including proposals for risk-indicator tools within the health-waste monitoring platform. The CCF-SNS has established a network of focal points in local health units and oncology institutes to ensure ongoing data collection.
Why it matters
It aims to curb fraud and waste in Portugal’s public health system, protecting taxpayer money and patient safety.
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