The normative and political-social evolution of the national health system and the risks of fragmentation. Analysis of the common portfolio of state services

Abstract

The historical antecedents of the current National Health System in Spain indicate an interesting evolution which points towards a clear interaction between specific, time-bound social values and prevailing political powers, a connection that defines and delimits the very scope of citizen health protection. The present article surveys this transformation and the progressive achievement of what we now call the National Health System, as triggered by the 1978 democratic Constitution, with a detailed analysis of the current level of protection and its complex articulation as reflected in the Portfolio of Common Services of the Spanish NHS.