An urgent wait lasts up to a whole day – Rui Pedro Vieira
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It went almost unnoticed in the recent election campaign and you can see why: no one took it seriously. On the 1st, projections from the Ministry of Health emerged pointing to an excess (!) of family doctors from 2026 onwards, after a chronic shortage in the SNS, aggravated by the pandemic, better conditions in the private sector and due to the peak in retirements. The forecast is that 2024 will be the last year of great pressure, thanks to the replacement of retired people with young specialists, as well as the updating of the National User Register. A faint light at the end of the tunnel, which remains black. Just look at the pressure that has been felt again in recent days, in the emergency rooms of Greater Lisbon. To the point that, in Loures, there are users with a yellow bracelet waiting 22 hours for a doctor. With overcrowded hospitalizations and dozens of empty beds due to lack of staff. With doctors admitting they are unable to work safely. While you have to wait practically a whole day for urgent care, coming to talk, even in the medium term, in a scenario of excess doctors is like wanting to treat an open wound with warm cloths.It went almost unnoticed in the recent election campaign and you can see why: no one took it seriously. On the 1st, projections from the Ministry of Health emerged pointing to an excess (!) of family doctors from 2026 onwards, after a chronic shortage in the SNS, aggravated by the pandemic, better conditions in the private sector and due to the peak in retirements.
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It went almost unnoticed in the recent election campaign and you can see why: no one took it seriously. On the 1st, projections from the Ministry of Health emerged pointing to an excess (!) of family doctors from 2026 onwards, after a chronic shortage in the SNS, aggravated by the pandemic, better conditions in the private sector and due to the peak in retirements. The forecast is that 2024 will be the last year of great pressure, thanks to the replacement of retired people with young specialists, as well as the updating of the National User Register. A faint light at the end of the tunnel, which remains black. Just look at the pressure that has been felt again in recent days, in the emergency rooms of Greater Lisbon. To the point that, in Loures, there are users with a yellow bracelet waiting 22 hours for a doctor. With overcrowded hospitalizations and dozens of empty beds due to lack of staff. With doctors admitting they are unable to work safely. While you have to wait practically a whole day for urgent care, coming to talk, even in the medium term, in a scenario of excess doctors is like wanting to treat an open wound with warm cloths.
