At a time when the country returned to the State of Emergency, the Portal da Queixa reveals an analytical study on the complaints of the Portuguese addressed to the Health sector, from the beginning of the year, until the 9th of November.
The largest consumer social network in Portugal reached more than 6.000 complaints (6103), an increase of 71% compared to the same period in 2019 (3573).
The private sector registers 64.9% of the total complaints (3962), and the public sector registers 35.1% (2141). Related to COVID-19 are 21% of the total complaints filed by users (1305).
According to the study developed by the Portal da Queixa team, this year, leading the largest volume of complaints received are: Health Plans and Insurance (1261), Pharmacies (932), Hospitals and Maternity Hospitals (930) and Private Health Groups (824), with emphasis on pharmacies which, compared to the same period of the previous year, registered the greatest growth in the number of complaints, an increase of 231%.
Main reasons for complaint:
Among the main reasons for complaints from consumers - addressed to different health entities - are the difficulty of scheduling appointments at Health Centers (56% of the total complaints addressed to these bodies) and at Public Hospitals, poor service is the reason reported in 21% of complaints.
In Hospitals and Private Clinics, the Portuguese complained about wrong billing (43%), about charging fees for protection kits (23%) and poor service (12%).
In the Clinical Analysis Laboratories, problems generated with screening to Covid-19 generated 27% of complaints.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Pharmacies were a strong target of complaints with the Portal da Queixa. Problems related to the sale of masks generated 58% of registered complaints and the prices charged for disinfectant alcohol gel led to 37% of complaints.
According to the analysis of the Portal da Complaint, it is concluded that the pandemic context has aggravated consumer dissatisfaction with the Health sector, translated into the exponential growth of complaints, over the months, addressed to various public and private health agents, expressing a reminder of the need to generally improve the effectiveness of the services provided.
In the opinion of Pedro Lourenço, CEO of Portal da Queixa and founder of Consumers Trust: “The National Health Service continues to record very high rates of dissatisfaction from year to year, not showing continuous improvements in the service provided. While we verified indicators of reduction in the number of complaints through the state channels, namely in the Yellow Book and Complaints, which mislead the interpretation of the current state of the sector, in Portal da Queixa this growth is very evident, demonstrating not only that NHS users are unhappy with the service provided, as well as the discrediting of the regulator, which clearly does not reflect confidence in the resolution of the problems presented. This behavior is already transversal to almost all sectors, as the Portuguese have already realized that the public sharing of the problems they encounter in the provision of public services translates into better results through public visibility, which allows for a more transparent and coherent assessment. the reality, without political and economic filters. On the other hand, the private health service is still not a viable alternative for most Portuguese families, where the charging of exaggerated amounts in post-service invoicing drives potential customers away from the sector, forcing them to sacrifice. if waiting for consultation through the NHS.”
NOTE: : All complaints made on the Complaint Portal addressed to the Health sector are available for public consultation at: www.portaldaqueixa.com
About the Complaint Portal:
O Privacy Policy is a global communication platform between consumers and brands that was founded in June 2009. Today, it is positioned as the largest social network of consumers and brands in the country, being a national reference in terms of consumption and a reputable Marketplace.
Portal da Queixa is visited by more than 2 million monthly consumers and receives an average of 15.000 complaints per month. It has more than 500.000 registered users and 8.200 brands are present on the platform.
Most people look for the platform to communicate directly with other consumers, brands and public entities, as well as to compare brands based on the Satisfaction Index. More than 90% of visitors to the Complaint Portal do not file a complaint, research information about a brand or service before making the final purchase decision.
The exponential growth and consolidation of the Portal da Queixa as one of the main national influencers in terms of consumption, allowed it to reach a new position by internationalizing its platform to markets with Spain (Libro de Quejas) and South Africa (Complaints Book), through of the launch of your global brand: Consumer Trust.
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