The president of the National Federation of Doctors (Fnam), Joana Bordalo e Sá, fears a complicated summer in the National Health Service (SNS) “if nothing is done” in terms of valuing doctors.
“If nothing is done, we know this could happen. Summer is at the door. Many doctors have already reached the 150 hours of overtime they are obliged to work. If nothing is done, we will have a very difficult summer,” she said after leaving the meeting with the Minister of Health.
Bordalo e Sá hopes that the new Government’s decisions will guarantee “more merits to the SNS, which is what the population needs””, and stressed that it is not just about revising the salary scale by 30%: “it is the question of valuing doctors, return at 35 hours, bring doctors back into the career, there are important issues such as family doctors, public health doctors, hospital doctors. We are not in a position to accept loss of rights. Better conditions are needed.”
“If this is done seriously, we will certainly reach a successful conclusion. The population deserves to have doctors in the SNS”, he stated, regarding negotiations between unions and government officials.
Bordalo e Sá recalled that “there are doctors who have very difficult working conditions, with small teams, and therefore excuse themselves from responsibility”.
