The National Federation of Doctors (FNAM) announced it has been called by the Ministry of Health for a “collective bargaining meeting regarding the medical career,” expressing concern that the meeting will take place “without prior notification of the agenda or any legislative proposal, contradicting best practices for collective bargaining and good faith negotiations.”
“This meeting should mark the moment when the Health Minister, Ana Paula Martins, abandons her obstructive stance and engages in serious dialogue allowing doctors to practice their profession with dignity instead of being driven out of the National Health Service (SNS),” emphasized the medical federation.
Led by Joana Bordalo e Sá, the federation underscores that doctors within the SNS demand “decent conditions and fair salaries,” highlighting that “the SNS is experiencing an unprecedented crisis.”
The FNAM describes the current situation as characterized by “closed health units, overcrowded emergency services,” with 63 babies being born in ambulances or on the street since January.
“From Chaves to the Algarve, pregnant women, children, and the elderly travel dozens of kilometers to access essential medical care,” it warns.
The FNAM has submitted “clear proposals” for revising collective agreements to improve working conditions, emphasizing the reinstatement of the weekly 35-hour work schedule and the recovery of purchasing power, given the approaching similarity between medical salaries and the national minimum wage.
Other proposals include reintegrating the internship into the medical career, reclaiming lost vacation days, enhancing continuous education, and strengthening parental support measures.
The federation asserts that “many of these measures have no budgetary impact and would allow doctors to balance their professional, personal, and family lives, valuing the medical career and contributing to the sustainability of the SNS.”
FNAM demands “commitment and immediate action,” reminding that “the survival of the SNS depends on motivated and valued doctors.”
