ANF’s 50th Anniversary Renews Collaboration in the Health Sector

On the day it celebrated its 50th anniversary, the National Association of Pharmacies (ANF) joined 49 entities from the public, private, and social sectors to sign the Declaration for Health. The document reflects a commitment to building a fairer, more accessible, and sustainable healthcare system, advocating for people-centered health, closer to communities, with responses tailored to local realities. It emphasizes prevention, cross-sector collaboration, and the integration of health into all public policies.

Present at the ceremony, which took place on October 15 at the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, the Secretary of State for Health interpreted this moment of unity around the ANF as “a clear sign of its relevance within the system, as well as recognition of its invaluable contribution to Public Health in Portugal.”

For Ana Povo, celebrating 50 years of the ANF is celebrating the pharmacy network and its “crucial role in the sustainability of the National Health Service (SNS).” As the first and last point of contact between communities and healthcare, pharmacies represent “a natural extension of primary healthcare, playing a key role in decentralizing care, relieving pressure on hospital emergency services, and promoting therapeutic adherence, especially among chronic patients,” she stated. It is therefore “with pride” that the Ministry of Health “recognizes the strengthening of collaboration between the SNS and the pharmacy network,” with results that are “living proof that some expenses are truly investments.” There should be no doubt, the official affirmed: “pharmacies are indispensable to the National Health Service. We are aware of their potential, much of which is still to be discovered. We want to solidify this relationship and expand its impact on the health of the Portuguese people,” she concluded.

For the president of the Parliamentary Health Committee, “in the future, it will be impossible not to better harness the capacity of our pharmacies and the ANF, as an essential partner in shaping health policies in Portugal.” Filipe Neto Brandão sees the UK’s experience as a reference in this regard, pointing to the recent proposal to reform the English National Health Service, “where there is a significant increase in the role of pharmacies, contributing to greater system efficiency and a substantial reduction in current costs.” These two goals, he assured, “will also be pursued by us.”

This idea was applauded by the president of the Portuguese Pharmacists’ Association, who highlighted the growing importance of community pharmacies in Portugal, also based on the work carried out by the ANF. For Helder Mota Filipe, “pharmacies are now the closest and most accessible healthcare structure for citizens,” who benefit daily from the professionalism of community pharmacists. “At a time of high pressure on the SNS, pharmacies are an effective response and a true relief for the system,” he stated.

Maria da Luz Sequeira, who chaired the Organizing Committee for the association’s 50th anniversary, highlighted the country’s progress in healthcare delivery but emphasized that more could have been achieved. “We still lack a true culture of dialogue between organizations and professions. That’s why we wanted to conclude the celebrations with a public act of dialogue — not symbolic, but a genuine expression of deeply felt commitment.”

“The Declaration for Health is a promise of action,” reaffirmed Ema Paulino, president of the ANF, stressing that building the future of healthcare in Portugal “is not solely a governmental responsibility. It is a shared duty among all actors in society.”

“We are living through times of great transformation: population aging, technological acceleration, ecological and demographic challenges. The health agenda needs to be revisited, and only through a joint response will it be possible to place people at the center of decisions and integrate health as a pillar of national development,” she stated.

For the association leader, collaboration is the driving force of change, and pharmacies are an active part of that transformation. “With half a million health encounters per day, pharmacies make the public’s trust their greatest asset. Today we celebrate that achievement, built on a movement of unity, courage, and vision, and the result of persistent work and cooperation with all those who are part of the healthcare system.”