The strike involves all healthcare professionals working in the National Health Service (SNS) in the region, who are demanding, among other things, the hiring of more staff to mitigate the strain they claim to be experiencing.
Healthcare professionals have indicated that exhaustion and deteriorating working conditions have not led to more severe consequences for patients and users due to their “high sense of responsibility and daily dedication.”
“Requests for resignation and termination of employment contracts occur almost daily, and in many services, there is a reduction in the number of professionals per shift,” the professionals lamented in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Tiago Botelho, president of the Local Health Unit (ULS) of Algarve, told Lusa he does not understand the reasons cited for the strike, suggesting that the root cause lies in union structures acting for political reasons.
The strike, scheduled from midnight to 24:00, was organized by the Union of Doctors of the Southern Zone (SMZS-FNAM), the Portuguese Nurses’ Union (SEP), and the Union of Public Function Workers of the South and Autonomous Regions.
