Medical unions, who are now meeting with the health minister, are ready to reach an agreement but believe the government must improve the proposals during this afternoon’s meeting.
“For the National Federation of Doctors, this agreement will not happen only if the government does not have the political will to reach an agreement,” Joana Bordalo e Sa told reporters at the entrance to a meeting to be held this afternoon at the Ministry of Health. Health, in Lisbon.
“We received the government’s counter-proposal at 12:36 a.m. this Sunday, which demonstrates a lack of competence and diligence that we have become accustomed to over 18 months, which shows that the government does not want to resolve the situation,” the minister said. union leader, emphasizing that the two largest medical unions had even submitted a counterproposal ready to be signed.
“Together with SIM, we have submitted a proposal with a legal statement ready to be signed, but what they have sent us is just a principle agreement that does not address the situations required for doctors to participate in the National Union of Doctors. The Health Service (SNS) and the way they want to implement our three points is completely unacceptable,” he added.
What the government wants, said Joana Bordalo e Sa, “is not a real step-by-step [da redução das horas de serviço e das horas feitas nas urgências]it’s a bargaining chip, they’re asking for more work to get that demand accepted, and the government’s counteroffer says nothing about wages.”
Regarding SIM, Jorge Roque da Cunha said the agreement “is in the hands of the government, which has agreed to reduce working hours.”
“But the specific circumstances, from our point of view, do not make sense,” he said.
In statements to reporters ahead of the meeting, the SIM leader stressed that he was “in a constructive spirit and ready to reach an agreement,” but warned that “it is important that the government realizes that if the situation continues as it has been so far, there will be worse, and change is entirely in the hands of the Minister of Health.”
What is certain is that for SIM, “it is the responsibility of the government to talk about reducing SNS capabilities coming from a government with an absolute majority that has been in power for eight years.”
The counterproposal, he concluded, “allows us to hire more doctors, reduce workloads and improve conditions, providing more quantity and quality of health care.”
Negotiations between the Ministry of Health, SIM and FNAM began in 2022, but the lack of an agreement has intensified doctors’ struggle with strikes and claims to justify overtime work beyond the mandatory 150 hours a year, leading to restrictions and closures of health facilities. emergency services in hospitals across the country.
The situation prompted SNS chief executive Fernando Araujo to warn that unless doctors reach an agreement with the government, November could be the worst month in SNS’s 44 years of existence.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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