Pharmacies in Portugal will be connected to the National Health Service (SNS) through a referral protocol that follows screening for HIV and hepatitis, according to HealthNews. The outlet reported the development on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
Under the arrangement described by HealthNews, people screened at pharmacies can be directed into the SNS through a formal referral pathway. The report frames the protocol as a link between community pharmacies and the public health service after testing for HIV and the hepatitis viruses.
The reporting from HealthNews does not specify which hepatitis strains the screening covers, how patients are referred, or when the protocol takes effect.
The measure places pharmacies in a referral role within the public health system rather than limiting them to the point of testing. HealthNews presents the protocol as the connection between the two sides following screening.
Details of the protocol's operation, including the referral process and the scope of the screening it covers, have not been set out in the reporting available so far. Further information from HealthNews and from the SNS is expected to clarify how the pathway works in practice.
