The National Federation of Doctors (FNAM) has called a strike for September 24 and 25, with the first day planned to target the Ministry of Health, which it accuses of worsening the “chaos that has set in” in the SNS.
“The Ministry of Health of Ana Paula Martins has worsened the chaos that has set in in the National Health Service (SNS), and thus forced doctors to hold a two-day national strike for all doctors on September 24 and 25, as well as a national demonstration on September 24, at 3:00 p.m., in front of the Ministry of Health, among other forms of struggle,” the FNAM said in a statement released on Tuesday.
In a national demonstration scheduled for September 24, FNAM is calling for the participation of other health care professionals and others.
“We invite other healthcare professionals, users and the general public to come and defend social media on our side,” FNAM says.
The strike was called “due to the complete lack of solutions from the Ministry of Health Ana Paula Martins (MS) to improve their working conditions.”
“We are still forced to work overtime beyond the annual statutory limits, with reduced teams and with irregularities in the corresponding payments, given the confusion in the application of the new legislation by institutions. On the other hand, we are seeing delays and cost overruns in competitions for the recruitment of new doctors to the SNS,” FNAM claims.
The federation accuses the minister of “returning to the path” that closed emergency services and forced pregnant women to give birth far from home or in ambulances, adding that 1.6 million Portuguese still remain without a family doctor.
He also accuses Ana Paula Martins’ ministry of “escalating the conflict” with several stakeholders on social media, namely INEM and hospital administrations, as well as other health professionals and users.
For FNAM, “the priority is to increase the pay scale for all doctors, return to 35 hours of work per week and 12 hours in emergency services, reintegrate internships into the medical career and create an exceptional commitment regime, optional for all doctors and appropriately increased.”
Doctors also want to bring back 25 working days of vacation, change the size of family doctor user lists and discuss other aspects of the career.
At the end of last week, FNAM resumed its strike against overtime work in medical centres until December 31 and is calling for “statements of inability to perform overtime work beyond the annual legal limits.”
“We want to mark the 45th anniversary of the SNS with the struggle that defended it, and that is why we continue to demand a minister who serves the SNS and who opens the way to solutions for the involvement of doctors in the SNS, returning the SNS to the country in all its potential: public, universal, free and perfect,” concludes FNAM, which about a month ago demanded a minister “competent for this role” for the health portfolio.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.