“It is unacceptable that there are patients without a family doctor while specialists in general and family medicine remain without placement. This is a management issue, not a resource problem,” warned Chairperson Carlos Cortes, as cited in an official statement.
The latest data available on the transparency portal of the National Health Service (SNS) indicate that the number of patients without a family doctor has risen over this year, from 1,564,203 in January to 1,633,701 in April, an increase of approximately 70,000 people.
According to the Order of Doctors (OM), the situation of general and family medicine has “reached a critical point,” with thousands of patients still lacking an assigned family doctor while the public response remains marked by inaction and glaring failures in placing available specialists.
In light of this, the organization led by Carlos Cortes demanded the opening of all available positions in general and family medicine in areas with an actual shortage of healthcare services, i.e., where there are patients without a family doctor, similar to what occurred in 2023.
“This is a basic measure of justice for the professionals and protection for the populations,” emphasized the OM, warning that “one cannot waste a generation of highly qualified doctors nor continue to leave communities abandoned due to inertia or administrative rigidity.”
Besides opening positions, Carlos Cortes advocated for regular mobility competitions, allowing doctors to adjust their career paths to the system’s needs and their personal and professional conditions.
“The current block on movements between health units is demotivating, unfair, and contributes to the erosion of the SNS,” the order also warned, stressing that in less advantaged regions, the state must play an active role, providing financial, housing, professional, and training incentives to attract and retain doctors.
According to the OM, there is no shortage of doctors trained in Portugal, but rather a lack of political will, strategic vision, and a functional administrative structure. Every year, dozens of young specialists complete their training without being able to access a position in the SNS in the areas where they are needed.
“By not opening competitions in the needy regions, the Ministry of Health pushes doctors out of the SNS, compromising the access of populations to primary healthcare,” lamented the order further.
