The presidential candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo criticized those leveraging the current healthcare situation to “ride a problem” and stated that a President of the Republic should not “interfere with governance permanently.”
During an event in Viseu, when journalists questioned him about the challenge for a debate centered on health issues proposed by the presidential candidate and leader of Chega, André Ventura, Gouveia e Melo said he would not respond “to provocations from other candidates,” though he is open to discussing the issues in this area.
“I am not only available, but I was the first to raise the problem. Therefore, jumping on a problem now, especially at a time when the Government is also facing issues in this area, seems excessive to me,” he emphasized.
The candidate noted that he wrote the first criticisms in June this year, which will now be published in a book: “My thoughts and what I believe needs to be done to improve the National Health Service are clearly outlined there.”
When asked about the potential emergency room shutdowns being prepared by a group of over a thousand temporary doctors, Gouveia e Melo stated that a presidential candidate should act as they would when President of the Republic.
“One of the things that should not be done is permanently interfering with governance. The Government needs space to govern, make its decisions, and it will be judged by those decisions,” he stressed, adding that one should not exert constant pressure.
In his view, the President of the Republic should apply “underlying pressure for the general resolution of society’s problems but should not meddle in day-to-day politics.”
“Otherwise, it becomes either opposition or reinforcement. What we should do is give the Government room to govern and find solutions,” he added.
According to the candidate, if these solutions are not found, “there are two immediate judgments: one by the population, who will judge at the right time, and another by the President if there is a serious crisis affecting security and democratic institutions.”
The Minister of the Presidency stated on Wednesday that the Government will maintain the planned changes for the work of service-provider doctors, claiming there is national consensus on the need to change the current situation.
The issue involves the regulation of medical work in service provision approved by the executive at the end of October, which intends to regulate the amounts paid to these health professionals and includes a regime of incompatibilities.
With this measure, the Government aims to minimize the payment disparities between doctors contracted with the National Health Service (SNS) and those working as service providers, known as temporary doctors.
