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The authors consider the recently passed about the Portuguese health system reform, namely bills Laws 48/90 and 10/93 (the Bases for Health Law and the National Health Service Act) and they existing some contradictions between the two Laws. In this paper the authors try to adopt point out legislation, mainly the Bases for Health Law from August 24, 1990, as a standard for the conceptualization of a model. One of the proposals in this law, the Health Area, is examined according to the functional contents expressed therein. The authors then probe the concept further, suggesting a local health administration function, at in a Health Area and aimed based a population of about 30,000 inhabitants (from 10 to 50 thousand) and headed by a local Health Administration. The duties and the functional and organizational structure of this body are defined; suggestions for its composition are also advanced. Considering the organizational structure, the authors suggest some services to be supervised by the Local Health Administration: a Public Health Service, a Secretariat and Accounting Service, a Social Service and other. The new concept of Health Center, as the primary care providing unit, is introduced, as is the idea of a Family Medicine Unit, whose functions, definition and scope are proposed.

In this study we have carried out haplotype analysis on the beta-globin gene cluster and characterized the beta-thalassemia mutation by oligonucleotide hybridization in 14 patients with thalassemia major and 5 with sickle cell/beta-thalassemia originating from southern Portugal. We found that three mutations, namely the beta(0)-39, beta(0) IVS-1 nt 1 and beta(+) IVS-1 nt 110 are prevalent accounting for 53%, 32% and 10% of the beta-thalassemia chromosomes respectively. In general each mutation was associated with a specific chromosomal haplotype; the beta(0)-39 mutation, however, was linked to three different haplotypes. These results indicate that three oligo-probes complementary to the most common mutations allow prenatal diagnosis by oligonucleotide analysis in 96% of the couples at risk of having offspring with thalassemia major in southern Portugal.