This Friday, nurses are on a new strike day, with membership at Centro Hospitalar do Algarve standing at around 65 percent.
At the end of the morning, the Algarve delegation from the Portuguese Nurses Union took stock of the progress of the strike in the region, which points to a strong adhesion by these health professionals.
At the time, there was only concrete data from the three hospitals in the Algarve. Here, according to SEP numbers, both in the morning and in the morning shifts, adherence ranged from a minimum of 50 percent to a maximum of 94 percent.
In a conversation with journalists, the coordinator of the Algarve union Nuno Manjua specified that, during the morning and morning, respectively, the participation was 66 and 64 percent, in Faro, 94 and 78 percent, in Portimão and 50 and 73 percent, in Lagos.
The numbers of the health centers were not yet fully calculated at the time, but Nuno Manjua said that, at least in the personalized care service in São Brás, “the adhesion was total”, which led to the closure of the unit.
Also at the Hospital of Faro there were consequences. «The outpatient operating theaters are not working. In general, only urgent surgeries are being performed», he revealed.
Nuno Manjua: Hiring 90 nurses for the Algarve “didn't come to make up for the departures that had already taken place and continue to happen”
This was the second Friday in a row that Portuguese nurses went on strike, with membership numbers being "similar" on the two days. The difference from one week to another is, revealed Nuno Manjua, in the indignation of these health professionals.
At issue, the Health Minister's appeal to cancel the strike, due to the legionella outbreak that took place last week in Vila Franca de Xira.
“In these statements, the minister admits that nurses are extremely needed. But, in business terms, we lack respect», said the SEP/Algarve coordinator. “He was concerned about the legionella outbreak. But have you ever wondered how many people have died due to the lack of nurses?” asked Nuno Manjua.
This episode soured an already tense relationship between nurses and guardianship. These health professionals have already carried out several strikes in 2014, including regional ones, due to the lack of nurses in the region.
And despite "some advances in terms of hiring," there was "zero evolution in important matters," according to Nuno Manjua, who accuses the ministry of "arrogance, disrespect and ignorance."
The Government advanced, at the height of the summer, to hire 90 health professionals for the region, but, ensure the nurses, the impact of the measure was small. This is because the integration of these new workers “has not been enough to make up for the departures that had already taken place and continue to be verified”. «On the day the minister came here [to Portimão] announce the hiring of these new nurses, 15 have left for the Middle East», he revealed.
The demand to hire more nurses is one of the main reasons for the struggle of nurses, at national level, which is combined with the guarantee of "35 hours per week". “There are nurses working 40 or more hours a week. It's not just for us that we ask, it's for the population», he guaranteed, as this situation increases the risk of failures in the service
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