Health minister admits Portugal will experience ‘many difficulties’ with family doctor coverage by the end of 2024

The Minister of Health acknowledged on Tuesday that Portugal will experience “many difficulties” in terms of coverage of family doctors before the end of 2024, although it is training specialists, but the training “started late”.

“I recognize that until the end of 2024 we will still experience many difficulties, because the question is whether those whom we are going to recruit will be able to compensate for a very significant number of doctors who have reached retirement age,” said Manuel Pizarro.

Speaking to reporters in Porto, host of the 2nd World Health Organization (WHO) Symposium on the Digital Future, Manuel Pizarro was confronted by figures put forward by the Association of Family Doctors, according to which the upcoming reform of 400 The increase in the number of family doctors could mean that another 700 thousand users will be left without a family doctor.

“The difficulties we have experienced in achieving full primary health care coverage are due to the fact that these years, somewhere between 2020 and the end of 2024, are the years of the main medical courses of the second half of the 1970s. “, the minister explained.

Speaking about the “generation gap”, Manuel Pizarro added that today the necessary specialists are being trained, but acknowledged that difficulties will remain.

“We started doing this too late and did not receive this compensation,” he concluded.

As for competitions, Pizarro recalled that in May of this year, 314 specialists were recruited for the competition of young specialists in general and family medicine, that is, “slightly more than 90% of those who completed their specialty upon graduation.” 2022″.

In November, a new tender will be announced for the same purpose, but on a smaller scale.

And in 2024, a third for doctors who graduate next year.

“This is what we have to deal with. We combine a recruitment incentive measure with a family health facility generalization measure with performance-related rewards. One of the performance-related components is expanding the list of users,” he said.

Asked also about ongoing strikes and demonstrations by doctors, Manuel Pizarro acknowledged concerns about the expression of dissatisfaction, given the “importance of human resources in the National Health Service”, but he hoped for a “rapprochement”. .

“I can assure you that the government is making every possible effort to bring us closer together, and positions that are beneficial to users of the National Health Service should be at the center of our concern, as well as benefiting our professionals. “I don’t know if there will be a final and complete agreement, but there is a convergence of positions,” he concluded.

These announcements came at the end of a press conference that unveiled the future WHO Office for Health Technology, Robotics and Entrepreneurship, as part of a two-day symposium at a hotel in Porto.

Upon entering the conference, Pizarro was confronted at the door by a demonstration of doctors organized by the National Federation of Physicians (Fnam), which called for a “flashmob” action.

The protest also marked the start of a caravan that will travel across the country to increase the mobilization of doctors so that they do not work more than the mandatory 150 overtime hours a year and map the current “dramatic situation”. in multiple healthcare units.

During the protest, Fnam President Joan Bordalo e Sa was heard by Hans Kluge, Regional Director of WHO/Europe, who, accompanied by Health Minister Manuel Pizarro, walked with a group of doctors.