The National Health Service will have a total of 322 vacancies with incentives to establish more doctors in areas considered to be in need, which represents an increase of 47 vacancies compared to 2023, announced the Ministry of Health.
Of these vacancies, 15 are for the Local Health Unit of the Algarve and Alto Alentejo, 16 for Baixo Alentejo and Litoral Alentejano, 10 for Central Alentejo.
These vacancies were established by Government Order No. 3397/2024, published today in Diário da República.
According to the Ministry of Health, «this measure aims to reduce the asymmetries that exist in different regions, such as peripheral areas and areas with greater demographic pressure, which demonstrate greater difficulty in attracting new professionals».
18 vacancies are also identified for the Local Health Unit of Arco Ribeirinho and the Tagus Estuary, 17 vacancies for the ULS of Leiria and Oeste, 16 vacancies for the ULS of Arrábida, Lezíria, Seixal, Castelo Branco, Loures-Odivelas and Médio Tejo, 15 for the ULS of Cova da Beira, 11 for the ULS of Guarda, 10 for the ULS of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Viseu Dão-Lafões and the Northeast, 8 for ULS of Amadora/Sintra and São José, 6 for ULS of Santa Maria, 5 for ULS of Western Lisbon and 1 for ULS of Baixo Mondego.
This measure allows incentives to be given to those who settle in needy areas.
The identification of more than 300 places that can count on the incentives allows for greater equity in access to medical healthcare, minimizing regional asymmetries that may persist, especially in more peripheral areas or areas with greater demographic pressure.
The definition of geographical areas qualified as needy is based on several factors, namely the percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, of the region in which the health service or establishment is located, the number of medical workers depending on the population density covered by the health service or establishment and its comparison with other establishments in the same group, the levels of care performance, productivity and access, the geographic distance to other services and health establishments and the training capacity of the health services and establishments, as well as consider the growth rate of allocated vacancies observed over recent years.
This work of planning the needs of the National Health Service, particularly in terms of human resources, is the result of a broader reform that is being carried out and which resulted, at the beginning of 2024, in the organization of the entire country into Local Health Units. Health – a model that allows true integration between different levels of care, particularly between hospitals and health centers, with shared and participated management, which focuses on people's needs and creates conditions for greater investment in health promotion and disease prevention.
This model also strengthens the work with different local partners, namely the participation of municipalities in the planning, organization and management of the functioning of the health response to the population of a given geographic area, enhancing proximity and network management.
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