The Order of Doctors hopes Health Minister Ana Paula Martins will listen to it as it prepares the health emergency plan, which the government aims to finalize in six months.
“Unless you want to repeat the mistakes of the past, when the Order of the Doctors was not heard on any of the most important issues that were decided, on the one hand, by the Ministry of Health, on the other, by the Executive Branch. SNA Directorate [Serviço Nacional de Saúde]”, said President Carlos Cortes.
In a conversation with Lusa, the official expressed hope that the path that the new government will take will be “the path of inclusivity and dialogue.”
“I see no other option than to listen to those on the ground, those who work day in and day out, those who know the problems and can offer solutions. And the Medical Association is fully accessible and its intention is obvious that it will cooperate with the new Minister of Health,” he emphasized.
During the election campaign, the current Prime Minister, Social Democrat Luis Montenegro, committed to presenting an emergency plan for the SNA within the first 60 days of the new government, which will apply until the end of 2025.
Reducing the time it takes to book an appointment with a family doctor, using teleconsultations as an alternative, and guaranteeing the use of nurses and family doctors also using the private and social sectors are among the goals of this plan.
It also envisages rapid care at primary care level (for acute illness) or extending the “voucher” system that already exists in surgical departments to the private sector, applying it to specialist consultations when waiting times are excessive.