Mario Guerreiro has sent a remarkable email detailing the costs to ordinary people of the Portuguese government's draconian austerity measures:
The health ministry's budget is being cut by double the amount required under the terms of Portugal's EU/IMF bailout. It has cut down on organ transplant-related costs, costs with chronically ill patients (in particular patients that require haemodialysis), and it increased the rates one must pay to access healthcare. Previously some people (pensioners, low-income families, blood donors, unemployed citizens) didn't have to pay. Now, most people will not only have to pay, but will actually pay in some cases seven times the previous cost.
Unemployment benefit is being cut, and will be paid for a shorter amount of time.
Higher taxes are expected to hamper the vital tourism sector, with about 120,000 people expected to lose jobs in restaurants and hotels, according to the sector's associations.
In the meantime, Mario says, "we Portuguese still try to keep our spirits up even in the face of this crisis. But the most worrying thing is that, through all this sacrifice and harsh times, there is very little hope for the future. Through the ways of the market speculators and credit agencies, the lobbying of greedy high finance, and hidden interests, we are just a couple of steps behind Greece."
• If you have a story to tell, know a person I should talk to, or live in a place you think I should visit, please contact me: jon.henley@guardian.co.uk, or @jonhenley (the hashtag for this venture is #EuroDebtTales).
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