The Order of Nurses today warned of the urgent need for the Minister of Health to intervene in the process of authorizing Local Health Units (ULS) to hire nurses, emphasizing that the country is wasting more than 3,000 new professionals. At issue are the 2026 organizational development plans, which define the human resources that ULS units can have and which have not yet been approved this year.
The president of the Order of Nurses, Luís Filipe Barreira, considered it "uncomprehensible" that a large amount of overtime is being paid instead of converting those funds into new hires. He also warned that young nurses are looking for alternatives in the private sector and in foreign countries, where salaries can be two to three times higher than those in Portugal, risking the SNS losing a new generation of professionals.
The NHS Executive Directorate responded that the contracting process for 2026 is underway, with the necessary technical and coordination procedures being developed. However, the president considered that the DE-SNS has "great responsibility" and must unblock the process urgently, noting that the Global Reference Framework has not yet been approved, which prevents the approval of organizational development plans.
Luís Filipe Barreira stated that Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, Alentejo, and the Algarve are the regions with the greatest nurse shortages, but warned that other regions, such as ULS Gaia/Espinho and ULS Oeste, are also facing serious structural problems, with bed closures and reduced care activity due to lack of stable hiring.
