The socialist parliamentary group has filed a request to hear from Ana Paula Martins and other key health entities regarding unfilled positions in medical internships. The parties of interest include the Central Administration of the Health System (ACSS), the Executive Directorate of the National Health Service (DE-SNS), the Order of Doctors, and the National Board of Medical Internships (CNIM).
The request specifies that 469 positions were not filled in the 2025 specialized training access contest, marking the worst outcome in recent years and directly affecting the National Health Service’s (SNS) care capacity. Due to the absence of detailed data by specialty and health unit, the socialists stress that there is a growing trend of unoccupied positions in key specialties like Internal Medicine and Family Medicine, leading to concerns about the sustainability of health services.
The socialist party emphasizes the need to investigate the underlying reasons for the increase in unfilled positions.
The National Federation of Doctors (FNAM) announced on Saturday that around 20% of the 2,331 open positions for new doctors to select their specialty remain vacant, indicating the SNS’s continued struggle to retain these professionals.
The union’s president stated, “This confirms a trend we already identified: the National Health Service continues to lose its capacity to attract and retain doctors, even at the early stage of specialty selection, despite the high number of open positions.”
The initial offering included 2,331 positions across various specialties in the SNS units, where new doctors are set to begin their specialized training on January 1, 2026.
On Sunday, the Order of Doctors highlighted that the vacancies left unfilled illustrate an ongoing “structural crisis” in essential specialties for the SNS.
The ACSS noted on the same day that the three additional doctors starting internships compared to the previous year is a positive sign, although 20% of positions remain vacant.
