“Faced with dozens of hospitals whose emergency rooms no longer provide the necessary medical response and in which the clinical director of the largest hospital in the country, Santa Maria, comes to make a desperate appeal to people not to go to the emergency room, stating that only patients transported in ambulances are guaranteed services, there is absolute silence, not only from the Minister of Health, but especially from the Prime Minister, who has to respond to eight years of bad governance of the SNS”, it can be said read in the request for this urgent debate, to which the Lusa agency had access.
The aim of the PSD is that this debate will take place on Wednesday, in the presence of the Minister of Health, Manuel Pizarro, with the proposed topic “the risks arising from the government’s inability to protect the professionals of the National Health Service (SNS). appreciate.” contributes to the quality of health care and the safety of patients served by the public health care system”.
The Social Democrats mentioned that the situation of an “impending rupture” unfolding in the SNS has worsened in recent days due to the decision of “thousands of doctors” not to work more than 150 hours of overtime per year, which is “a large part of hospitals in a situation of very serious restrictions”.
“The country can no longer wait for people to be reassured about healthcare. This climate is unresponsive to those who need the SNS and scares families who expect to have to resort to health care,” can also be read in the request signed by the PSD parliamentary leader Joaquim Miranda Sarmento.
According to the PSD, after the “eight years of incompetence and ideological pride” of the PS administration, the Portuguese “want to know if the government has solutions, a strategy for and with a future and not just media figures.”
According to the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Republic, an urgent debate may be held every fortnight at the request of a parliamentary group, taking place “immediately after office hours, without prejudice to the existence of political declarations of parties intending to do so to exercise his right.”
According to the parliamentary agenda, the next plenary session will take place on Wednesday and political statements will be on the agenda.
Asked about the situation of the SNS, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, announced today that the Minister of Health will meet with the trade unions in the sector next week.
In recent weeks, some hospitals in the country have encountered difficulties in guaranteeing full team schedules, especially for emergency services, as several doctors refuse to work more than the 150 annual overtime hours provided for by law.
In an investigation carried out this week on the issuance of minutes refusing overtime, the National Federation of Doctors (FNAM) stressed that the situation is causing closures and restrictions in emergency services, but also on the scale of other hospital services.
According to the FNAM, around 2,000 doctors have already refused to work more overtime than legally stipulated.
Source: DN
