Adherence to the strike by medical assistants and technical assistants reached 100% today in some hospitals in the country, such as Tondela, and the national average was around 95%, according to the unions.
Elisabete Gonçalves, from the National Federation of Unions of Workers in Public and Social Functions (FNSTPS), explained to Lusa that in Orthopedics consultations and other exams at Hospital Santa Maria, in Lisbon, and in consultations at Hospital de S. José, adherence it was also total.
Underlining the great impact on the services, the official explained, however, that in some places the high participation "is not so noticeable" because the minimum services are being ensured.
«It is not noticeable in certain places because the minimum services have to be ensured, but the adherence of the workers is quite high», said the official, stressing that «some consultations are closed, but end up being carried out because of the issue of minimum services ».
Earlier this morning, Sebastião Santana, coordinator of the FNSTPS, had said that disturbances were expected in outpatient consultations, hospitalizations and even surgeries.
Questioned by Lusa, Elisabete Gonçalves explained that the information collected by the federation indicates that several scheduled surgeries will be postponed because of the strike.
Regarding the geographical distribution of adherence to the strike, he said that in the North it was around 85% to 90% and, in the South, "higher" values were registered, as well as in the Center region.
«In any case, at a national level, the balance is very positive and we can say that it is around 90% to 95% per cent, considering a national average», he added.
The creation of a career as an auxiliary health technician, the enhancement of the technical assistant career, the application of 35 hours a week to all health workers and the admission of the necessary staff to the National Health Service are some of the demands of this strike, which started at 00:00 and continues throughout today.
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