Standardising national health programmes towards sustainable health planning in Portugal

National Health Programmes (NHP) are crucial for implementing the Portuguese National Health Plan 2030 (PNHP), addressing health goals aligned with the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development (UNASD). Coordinated by the Directorate-General of Health, their heterogeneous development in structure and content limits alignment with the PNHP, comparability, implementation and evaluation. Overcoming these challenges is essential to strengthen governance and planning for sustainable health. Between 2024 and 2025, all publicly available documentation from the 24 NHP was compiled into a repository, aiming to address three key questions: how are they structured? In what ways do they differ? Is it feasible to create a common framework while preserving programme-specific characteristics? Structural inconsistencies across NHP included missing, miscategorised and incomplete sections, as well as gaps in PNHP-relevant content. A standardised model was developed, informed by health planning literature and the PNHP framework, incorporating core components: mission, vision, target population, operational objectives, intervention strategies, equity promotion, partnerships, monitoring and evaluation plan and communication plan, alongside an instruction guide. Implementation included multilateral presentation of this model and bilateral meetings to support collaborative adoption; since May 2025, 14 NHP were involved. NHP teams identified structural standardisation as an unmet need, expressing commitment to model adoption. Ongoing monitoring will guide further refinement towards national publication. The model strengthens the technical methodology of programme design, integrating sustainable health into health programmes design in alignment with the PNHP and UNASD. This promotes more coherent multilevel implementation and better coordination across programmes. The approach provides a replicable framework for other countries seeking to align health programmes and strengthen health planning.

Key messages

• Structural heterogeneity across national health programmes limits coherent implementation and compromises public health governance.

• A standardised framework was developed to improve coordination across programmes and strengthen alignment with national and global sustainable health agendas, while preserving their specificity.