The National Federation of Doctors (FNAM) accused the Ministry of Health of a “serious planning failure” by delaying the competition for placement of specialists, risking losing them to the private sector or abroad.
“Around 250 recently trained specialist doctors completed their medical internship in October and continue, in December, without any placement in the National Health Service (SNS), due to the delay in opening the hiring competition, whose legal deadline ended two days ago”, says FNAM in a statement sent to newsrooms.
The delay was denounced on Saturday by the Independent Doctors’ Union (SIM) and today corroborated by the FNAM, which criticizes the situation, which it believes has “direct consequences for patient safety and access to healthcare”.
The FNAM recalls that, among these professionals, there are “critical specialties for the NHS”, namely more than 50 General and Family Medicine doctors, more than 30 Internal Medicine doctors, 16 Obstetrics doctors, 12 Psychiatry doctors and 11 Pediatrics doctors.
The federation emphasizes that these professionals could alleviate closed emergency services cases and reduce emergency waiting times, which in some hospitals can exceed 5 pm.
For FNAM, this delay in the competition “has no technical or administrative justification”, as it is “a serious failure in planning, management and political responsibility, attributable to the Ministry of Health, under the supervision of Ana Paula Martins“.
Furthermore, he adds, “the country risks wasting highly qualified doctors, trained over more than a decade with public investment, at a time when the NHS is facing one of the biggest human resources crises in its history”.
The federation also fears that this delay will be seen by young specialists as a sign that the State even trains doctors, publicly recognizes their shortage, but then “refuses to comply with the legislation and the duty to hire them in a timely manner”.
Result: “Departure to the private sector or abroad, deliberately worsening the weakening of the SNS”, accuses the federation, which estimates that, on average, four doctors “abandon the SNS” every day.
“Each day of delay represents doctors that the SNS loses and health care that is no longer provided to the population. The FNAM demands that the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, immediately assume political responsibility for this situation and comply with the law, proceeding with the urgent opening of the competition to hire specialist doctors”, he accused.