ANACOM assigned the right of use of the short number 2424 to the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS) to be used exclusively for sending short messages (SMS) to the population in the context of the implementation of the national plan of vaccination against COVID-19, including the sending of medical prescriptions and scheduling of appointments during that period.
This assignment is made on an exceptional basis and during the implementation of the national plan of vaccination against COVID-19, considering its obvious and enormous importance for the public interest in the fight against the pandemic afflicting the country, and the fact that this is a number that is only intended for sending/receiving short messages (SMS).
The SPMS should ensure the implementation of the service so that it is accessible to all citizens, always in the same manner, in all national (mobile) networks, regardless of the network in which the communication is originated, being free of charge for the end user.
The SPMS chose the number 2424 because it considered that this specific number allows the users to confidently identify the origin of the information that is sent, in view of their familiarity with the National Health Service helpline 24 - 808 24 24 24.
