From January, Portugal will have 222 more family health units type B (USF-B), covering 51 more municipalities and allowing family doctors to reach more than 300,000 users, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday.
According to information released this Thursday by the Ministry of Health, more than 3,500 health workers are participating in the new USF-B, who now have incentives to reward performance with a salary increase of at least 60%.
The government announcement clarified that 112 Model A USFs and 10 UCSPs, traditional health centers, will become USF-Bs.
“With this measure, the Government takes a decisive step towards completing the reform of NHS primary care, moving towards a universalization of a model that guarantees a modern response and proximity to users,” the statement said, adding that the Regulation was also published today in the Official USF Model B Bulletin.
The regulation regulates the application procedure applicable to the establishment of a Model B USF, the monitoring and control processes, and the mechanisms for transition to a Model B USF.
According to the ministry, this is the first stage of the generalization process of USF-B, the most advanced primary health care model, which will take place during 2024.
Thanks to the announcement of this process on Thursday, the National Health Service (SNS) will next month cover a total of 570 USF-Bs, which will exist in 154 municipalities of mainland Portugal, 51 more than so far, the government explains.
Through 2024, the remaining USF-A will become Model B, retroactive to January, given an overall performance rating equal to or greater than 60% in the 2023 assessment.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health said that this process is one of the keys to the success of the ongoing reorganization in the SNA with the commissioning of new Local Health Units (LHC).
“From January 2024, 39 ULS SNSs will begin to operate primary care departments, hospitals and continuing care in each territory to better integrate care for the benefit of SNS users. Currently, all ULSs have at least one active family. Medical unit,” the statement concludes.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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