The doctors’ union federation stated in a communiqué that the model for future regional emergency services, approved this week by the Council of Ministers, “does not serve doctors or the population,” as it will require “pregnant women and babies to travel long distances, with the real danger of births occurring in ambulances.”
On Wednesday, the government approved the legal framework to establish regional emergencies, with the first one expected to start operating early next year in the Setúbal Peninsula. This area has seen more temporary closures of services due to a shortage of specialist doctors in obstetrics and gynecology.
In practice, it is anticipated that two or more local health units (ULS) in a given region could merge to centralize emergency services at a single hospital.
Healthcare professionals working in regional emergency teams—doctors, nurses, and auxiliary health technicians—will maintain their employment links to their respective ULS, though work-related transfers to another hospital are planned.
According to the Fnam, the health minister “misled the deputies in the Assembly of the Republic by stating that there would be no forced mobility measures for doctors,” further asserting that Ana Paula Martins “has lost the confidence of doctors and the country.”
“If [Prime Minister] Luís Montenegro retains this minister in her position, it will imply complicity with this lack of truth and disrespect towards health professionals,” warned the union structure.
On a day of public sector strikes, which Fnam joined, the federation emphasized that the doctors’ walkout is “a fight for the dignity and future of the National Health Service,” noting approximately 80% adherence, especially affecting operating theaters, where only emergency services operated.
