The Assembly of the Republic on Tuesday approved the hearing of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Admiral Silva Ribeiro, on the lack of human resources in the Hospital das Forças Armadas (HFAR), reported by Diário of News.
The request, which was approved unanimously (BE was not present), was drafted by the PCP and was intended to hear the Defense Minister, Helena Carreiras, and the Director of HFAR on the subject, but it was agreed that the latter should be heard only if necessary after the first two hearings.
In filing the application, communist deputy João Dias claimed that the hospital’s hiring on an advance basis “causes instability in the institution, namely [para aqueles] who are responsible for carrying out the entire planning of their activities, and ensuring the care necessary to be provided, both to the military and to the disabled in the armed forces”.
“It is important to clarify once and for all what solution the government wants to give to this situation,” stressed out.
For the PSD, deputy Jorge Paulo Oliveira agreed with the request of the communists, noting that “the HFAR has encountered difficulties related to a shortage of personnel, a decrease in its capacity” or even the “increase in the times of its waiting lists”.
The Social Democrats want even more details about “a debt of aid to the military (ADM) that has yet to be settled with the military health system, which includes the HFAR in addition to the military laboratory”, adding that “continues to implementing reform of the military health system”.
Socialist deputy Diogo Leão emphasized that the Ministry of Defense has already announced that measures are being taken to ensure the opening of tender procedures “that can give staff the prospect of stability”, but he favored more information.
Nevertheless, the socialist warned that military health depends directly on the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMGFA) and that there is “a chain of command” in the FA which in his view should be respected, suggesting that instead of calling the Director of the hospital, Admiral Silva Ribeiro, must be called.
Communist João Dias did not oppose the CEMGFA hearing, but noted that there are elements of “execution and operability” that can only be provided by the hospital director. Despite this, the PCP delegate accepted the suggestion, but believed that “doubts will arise” and that the director will have to be called later.
At the end of December, the Ministry of National Defense announced the finalization of the processes related to 2023 personnel contracts at the Hospital das Forças Armadas pending regularization and indicated that “a process for opening tender procedures for the hiring of employees with a permanent link to HFAR personnel”.
According to information provided at the time by Diário de Notícias and Correio da Manhã and to which Lusa had access, HFAR – with hubs in Lisbon and Porto – would be at risk of being placed in a critical situation if “service contracting” involves unauthorized services based on of compensation” for 2022 of the 222 professionals “representing approximately 15% of HFAR’s universe of 1,400 employees”.
According to a document sent to the ministry making an assessment of the situation, it is noted that HFAR’s organic staff “has a very significant shortage of human resources, at the military level (minus 473 of an organic total of 926) and civilians (minus 169 out of an organic total of 754) making up a total shortfall of minus 642 troops”.
Last year it was asked to hire 160 workers indefinitely, but the request “did not register any development”, so the hospital “maintains for 2023 the need and reliance on acquiring services from contract suppliers, as verified during the past years”.
Source: DN
