Increasing the number of vacancies in medicine does not solve the problem of the Medical Association “SNS”

The president of the Medical Association (OM), Carlos Cortes, considered on Thursday that the announcement of the creation of more places on medical courses was “populist and unrealistic” in relation to the pressing problems of the National Health Service (SNS).

“It is more than proven that Portugal has enough doctors, but they are not in the SNS. Instead of distracting attention with some populist measures, but unrealistic at the moment, we should now focus on the SNS and its ability to attract human resources,” said Carlos Cortes.

In telephone statements, commenting on the statements of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro in the health sector, the OM president asked not to force the issue.

“Currently, the country does not have a problem with medical students or graduates. The country has a problem with the National Health Service. The number of medical students and the number of specialist doctors in the SNS,” said Carlos Cortes.

Speaking on Wednesday at the Festa do Pontal festival in Quarteira, Faro district, which marked the political “return” of the PSD, Luís Montenegro announced the creation of additional vacancies in the medicine course to compensate for the retirement of National Health Service doctors.

This Thursday, Carlos Cortes said that “the fact that the Prime Minister has made health one of the priority topics of his speech should be welcomed” because “it means that he is committed to health and recognizes the difficulties that the social network faces in crossing the border”, but was “surprised by the measures announced”.

“There are enough doctors in Portugal. According to the OECD analysis, there are enough doctors in Portugal. [Organização para a Cooperação e Desenvolvimento Económico]one of the countries with the highest number of doctors per 1,000 inhabitants (…). The population is always pleased to be told that their number will increase. […] But what the country needs most is not new vacancies, but measures to attract doctors,” he confirmed, summarizing those that he considers most relevant.

“Improve working conditions for doctors, improve doctors’ careers, address compensation issues with unions, and improve training and research to attract more doctors,” he listed.

Carlos Cortes recalled that over the past 25 years, the number of medical students has increased from five to 12, and the number of medical students has increased from about 500 to 1,700, and said that Portugal has about 2,000 new medical graduates every year, including those coming from abroad.

According to the president, this year the Directorate General of Higher Education conducted a study on the needs of doctors in the country and concluded that Portugal needs to have between 15 and 30 new vacancies in medical faculties.

“The University of Aveiro will begin [um novo curso] with 40 vacancies, and then [nos anos seguintes] with a double or triple increase in these vacancies,” the president added.

Carlos Cortes warned that more than 400 vacancies in the specialty went unfilled last year, a number he said was “growing year after year,” so “action is needed now, not in 15 years.”

“This increase in vacancies and the creation of new faculties will lead to the fact that in 15 years only medical specialists will be able to join the SNS. The Prime Minister’s promise does not solve the current problems of the SNS, it only moves the problem forward,” he emphasized.

Another measure proposed by Carlos Cortes, who criticized the “regrettable delays of ULS.” [Unidades Locais de Saúde] in competitive procedures” is the publication of hospital vacancies in a specialty in February or March, before the end of the specialization of doctors.

“Doctors completed their specialty in April, and in August many of them were not even contacted by the SNS (…). Private hospitals and foreign hospitals did not wait until August to recruit doctors to their staff,” he concluded.