More than 100 doctors from four hospitals in the North have asked to apologize for working overtime, questioning emergency care scheduling, the National Federation of Doctors (Fnam) said on Friday.
At stake is the local health department of Alto Minho (ULSAM), which combines the Viana do Castelo Hospital, Tras os Montes and Alto Douro Hospital Center (CHTMAD) with the Vila Real, Lamego and Chavez Hospitals, the Bragança Hospital and at the Centro Hospitalar de Entre o Douro e Vouga (CHEDV) in Santa Maria da Feira, where a total of about 110 doctors are exempt from overtime work of the 150 hours per year required by law, he told Lusa Fnam president Joana Bordalo and Sa .
The union leader said that “the vast majority of general surgery and internal medicine doctors in Viana do Castelo, 22 of the 36 general practitioners at the Tras os Montes and Alto Douro Hospital Center (CHTMAD), apologized for working overtime. the vast majority of general surgery and internal medicine doctors from the Bragança Hospital and 18 internal medicine doctors from CHEDV.”
Joana Bordalo e Sa explained that these decisions are the result of “a spontaneous initiative of the doctors of the Viana do Castelo Hospital, whether they are members of a trade union or not, who welcomed the initiative put forward in May by Fnam to grant relief projects from additional work, due to the deadlock in negotiations between trade unions and the Ministry of Health.”
In early September, this group of specialists collected more than a thousand signatures from doctors who informed the Minister of Health that overtime work would be impossible from September 12.
In an “Open Letter to the Ministry of Health”, which Lusa had access to, the doctors’ movement reports that specialists “have completed the mandatory 150 hours of additional work as of September 11,” therefore “in the absence of understanding.” Between the ministry and trade unions, on September 12, 2023, the “statement of unwillingness to provide additional work in excess of 150 hours per year” will be made valid.
“We understand the complexity and importance of the NHS and recognize the efforts to keep it functioning properly. However, current working conditions have negatively impacted the mental and physical health and quality of life of all healthcare workers. We are united in seeking to improve the conditions of our profession, which will benefit not only the NHS, but our entire population,” doctors said in a letter sent to the ministry on September 1.
Thus, the number of professionals refusing additional overtime may be higher than indicated by Fnam, but Joana Bordalo e Sa explains that this is data from the trade union structure, referring to the hospitals in the North through which the caravan passed in the coming weeks. moves to the center and south of the country.
The two main unions representing doctors said on Thursday that the measures announced by the government do not address underlying problems and could even lead to more staff being fired from the NHS.
On Thursday, the government approved the diploma of a new model of family health units (USF) and created conditions for the expansion of the same model to hospitals, based on the full dedication of professionals and self-organizing multidisciplinary teams.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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