"The Ministry of Health, through the General Secretariat, which is the entity that makes the acquisitions, did not make contracts with private consultants. Now when we say universe of health, which was what was referred to, we will have to question the vast universe of health", said Marta Temido.

The PSD/CDS-PP Government admitted on Saturday that it had hired a private consultant to "organize and structure" the work of the 'task force' responsible for the Health Emergency Plan, stressing that the company has been working with the "universe of the Ministry of Health" in the "last few years".

On a visit to the Cherry Festival in Resende, in the north of the district of Viseu, the candidate for MEP criticized those who define political strategies by handing them over to the private sector.

"Those who know well do not buy from third parties, those who do not know well what to do tend to buy outside. These are options", she pointed out.

To journalists, Marta Temido explained that, perhaps because she has "a lot of experience in the health sector", she always understood that this "was not a good option".

"I know our country very well, also thanks to the work I had as a hospital administrator, I worked here a few kilometers away, at the Peso da Régua Hospital", she added.

The PS secretary-general, Pedro Nuno Santos, questioned the Government on Saturday about whether any private consulting company was involved in the preparation of the health emergency plan, how it was hired and what information from the National Health Service (SNS) it had access to.

According to the socialist leader, "apparently a private consulting company participated in consultation meetings with various entities, private and public", and it is not known "to what extent it was also involved in the design of the health emergency plan".

Today, the prime minister, Luís Montenegro, defended that the question raised by the PS secretary-general about the possible use of a private consultant in the strategic plan for health has "neither head nor tail".

"This has neither head nor tail, neither head nor tail. I'm not going to talk about it now, but this accusation has neither head nor tail", said Luís Montenegro.

In a note sent to Lusa, the office of the Minister of Health clarified that "to organize and structure the contributions/work of the 'task force', a private consultant was hired, IQVIA Solutions, which is part of the pool of consultants that has been working with the universe of the Ministry of Health in recent years".

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