The proposed bill, recently unveiled, aims to prevent the hiring of doctors as external service providers if they have left the National Health Service (SNS) or are newly qualified specialists who have not entered into contracts with the state.
“The discussion surrounding the new legislation should not focus on preventing contracting, but rather on incentivizing it,” remarked Xavier Barreto, advocating for a “broader perspective on building a system that encourages young doctors to contract with hospitals instead of working as freelancers.”
“This is the challenge facing the government,” the official noted.
Xavier Barreto emphasized that “it is clear a doctor should not detach from the National Health Service after completing their specialty only to immediately work as a freelancer, as it makes no sense,” but also stressed the need for “competitive and attractive contracts and proposals to draw these doctors to the SNS.”
“We want them to join, but we want them with contracts, not paid per hour as service providers, because this type of work lacks quality and doesn’t ensure a relationship with the rest of the service,” stated the president of APAH.
Thus, the government should propose “professional development solutions” to new hires, offering salary increases along with other benefits, he argued.
“We need to see how to create a more attractive National Health Service with better contracts and professional development prospects where people feel well-treated, with good working conditions,” asserted Xavier Barreto.
The draft decree-law, seen by the Ministry of Health, states that newly specialized doctors not applying to the SNS or refusing placements will not be allowed to work on a task basis in the public sector.
The same will apply to doctors who rescind contracts, refuse to work beyond mandatory legal hours, or seek early retirement, the document noted.
