Foreign influence and achievements in the regionalization of Portugal’s hospital network (1946-1974)

This article analyzes the regionalization of Portugal’s hospital network during the “New State” dictatorial regime (1933-1974), launched after the second world war. In an attempt to create a regionally-based hospital system, the Portuguese government limited itself to subsidizing the construction and refurbishment of buildings, relegating the multiple tasks involved in hospital management to private organizations, hampering access to health care for a significant part of the population. Through the analysis of study trips made by hospital administrators and sanitary engineers in the 1940s and 1950s, mainly to European countries such as Italy, France and England, this article reflects on the importance of contacts with international networks of experts and influence of foreign experiences on the approach to the organization of hospital care in Portugal adopted in subsequent years.

Keywords
Hospitals; Regionalization; Study trips; New state; Portugal