The Minister of Health admitted today that Portugal will experience “many difficulties”, until the end of 2024, with regard to coverage for family doctors. Although professionals are being trained, this training “started late”, he admits.
“I admit that until the end of 2024 we will still experience many difficulties because the issue is whether those we are going to recruit will be able to compensate for the very significant number of doctors reaching retirement age”, said Manuel Pizarro.
Speaking to journalists in Porto, where the 2nd Symposium of the World Health Organization (WHO) dedicated to the digital future is taking place, Manuel Pizarro was confronted with figures advanced by the Association of Family Health Doctors, according to which the imminent reform of 400 more family doctors could mean that 700 more users will be left without a family doctor.
“The difficulties we have had in ensuring full coverage in primary health care has to do with the fact that these years, somewhere between 2020 and the end of 2024, are the years in which graduates from major second-generation medical courses will retire. half of the 70s”, explained the minister.
Speaking of a “generational gap”, Manuel Pizarro added that the necessary professionals are being trained today, but admitted that the difficulties will continue.
“We started doing it too late and we didn’t get this compensation”, he summarized.
Regarding competitions, Pizarro recalled that in May this year, in the competition for young specialists in general and family medicine, 314 specialists were recruited, which means “a little more than 90% of those who had finished the specialty at the end of 2022”.
In November, for the same purpose, a new competition will be launched but of a smaller size.
And in 2024 a third for doctors who finish their training next year.
“It’s something we have to deal with. We combined the measure of recruitment encouragement with the measure of generalization of family health units with pay linked to performance. One of the components associated with performance is the expansion of the list of users,” she said.
Also asked about the strikes and demonstrations by doctors that have been taking place, Manuel Pizarro admitted concern about the expressions of discontent, given the “importance of human resources in the National Health Service”, but expressed hope in a “closeness of positions” .
“I can assure you that the Government makes every possible effort to bring us closer to positions that are advantageous for users of the National Health Service, these must be at the center of our concern, and are also rewarding for our professionals. I hope that the dialogue – I don’t know if a definitive and total agreement will come out – but there will be an approximation of positions”, he concluded.
These statements came at the end of a press conference that served to present the WHO's future office for Health Technology, Robotics and Entrepreneurship, part of a two-day symposium that is taking place in a hotel in Porto.
Upon entering the conferences, Pizarro was confronted at the door by a demonstration of doctors organized by the National Federation of Doctors (Fnam) who called the action a 'flashmob'.
The protest also marked the start of a caravan that will travel across the country, to reinforce the mobilization of doctors, so that they do not work more than the mandatory 150 overtime hours per year and to map the “dramatic situation” that is being experienced in several units of health.
During the protest, the president of Fnam, Joana Bordalo e Sá, was heard by Hans Kluge, regional director of WHO/Europe, who, accompanied by the Minister of Health, Manuel Pizarro, traveled with the group of doctors.
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