The Ordem dos Médicos highlights critical shortages in key medical specialties within Portugal’s public health service, evidenced by unfilled positions in family medicine, internal medicine, and intensive care. The shortage reflects an exacerbated recruitment crisis, particularly affecting Lisbon, Vale do Tejo, and the North.
This comes after a recent selection process for medical specialties offered 2,331 positions, intended for new doctors to begin their specialized training as of January 1, 2026. Among the eligible 2,375 medical graduates, issues in specialty selections were prevalent.
Family medicine, ensuring primary care at health centres, shows the highest vacancies at 229 unfilled slots, about a third of this year’s offerings. Internal medicine, termed a ‘hospital linchpin,’ reported a mere 52% occupancy of its 204 positions.
The Ordem notes a marked decline in interest in intensive care, a specialty focusing on critically ill patients needing advanced life support, with 59 out of 74 slots filled. Public health also faced shortages, leaving 23 of 60 available positions vacant. Overall, in the 2025 medical internship selection, 2,331 vacancies were offered, with 1,862 filled, reflecting a 20% vacancy rate.
Carlos Cortes underscores that undervaluing family medicine undermines health services and jeopardizes regions and societal sectors needing proximate, efficient, and proactive healthcare. According to transparency portal data, as of October, approximately 1,542,989 residents lacked assigned family doctors.
Cortes questions why the Health Ministry hasn’t adopted the Ordem’s 25 proposals aimed at improving work conditions, career progress, training, and salaries to retain and attract professionals domestically and abroad.
José Durão, President of the Ordem’s National Council for Medical Interns, views the selection results as a reflection of junior doctors’ dwindling interest in medical internships within the SNS. He advocates for urgent reforms in training paths, specialty-focused incentives, and improved working conditions.
This year marked a return of vacancy selection oversight to the Central Administration of the Health System (ACSS), following the dissolution of regional health administrations. The process utilized a new software platform aligned with efforts to digitize medical internships.
