In Portugal, the healthcare system is often ranked among Europe’s best. Yet, people with chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia, severe spinal conditions, or debilitating mental health struggles are frequently dismissed, ignored, or laughed at by medical professionals. Patients wait indefinitely for support, face bureaucratic neglect, and sometimes are even charged fees they cannot afford. Meanwhile, the same system offers free and timely support to asylum seekers and undocumented migrants arriving in Portugal. Chronic pain, mental health struggles, and bureaucratic neglect shouldn’t be worse than being a newcomer, yet for thousands of locals, it is. Why are Native Portuguese patients ignored and left to suffer?

In Portugal, the healthcare system is often ranked among Europe’s best. Yet, people with chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia, severe spinal conditions, or debilitating mental health struggles are frequently dismissed, ignored, or laughed at by medical professionals. Patients wait indefinitely for support, face bureaucratic neglect, and sometimes are even charged fees they cannot afford.Should escaping violence be worth less than recovering from a medical procedure? What does this say about how Portugal values survivors?

Citizens are becoming more politically disillusioned. The very systems that were built to support them are now stretched thin, leaving locals to struggle for the basics. At the same time, however, migrants—whether refugees or even those arriving illegally—are being welcomed with open arms. Housing, financial support, healthcare, and even legal protections are granted to them upon arrival. Are governments in Europe sacrificing its own people to secure power?