The President of the Medical Association, Carlos Cortes, defended this Wednesday the creation of differentiated measures to attract and retain doctors in the regions of the country where the shortage of professionals is most pronounced, during a visit to the Local Health Unit of the Alentejo Coast.
Carlos Cortes stated that all hospitals and areas of the country cannot be treated the same, advocating a "special focus" for territories such as the Algarve, the Alentejo, the interior of the Centro and Norte regions, and even some urban areas like Lisbon, particularly in the field of General and Family Medicine.
The official proposes the creation of a "shortage index" to identify zones that require specific measures, considering factors such as the lack of doctors, the high cost of housing, and difficulties in accessing public transportation. He warned that without human resources, it is impossible to provide adequate care to the population, regardless of the quality of facilities.
As an example, Carlos Cortes noted that on the Alentejo Coast approximately 30% of the population does not have support in primary healthcare, which increases pressure on hospital emergency departments. The Medical Association is expected to present on Friday, October 11, a document with proposals directed to the Ministry of Health and the Government to strengthen the response in low population density areas.
