It's not the NHS's fault

There is a total discrepancy between the needs of doctors — among other professionals — and the current reality, which derives from the model that has been practiced for decades by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the Portuguese Medical Association. This model has led to the current shortage of doctors in hospitals, both general practitioners and specialists, which results in this tragedy in emergency services.

The reduction in the number of medical students, through the average system and limited places, now shows that this criterion has had a harmful effect on the NHS, as well as on the private sector, over time. Foreign doctors are now being used when, for years, thousands of young people were excluded from medical courses because they did not achieve the maximum grade (20 out of 20).

Another of the country's oddities — whose logic is, to say the least, questionable — is the refusal, on the part of the Order, to accept the creation of a specialty in emergencies, as the most advanced countries in the world do. We need a shorter medical course, with greater connection of students to hospitals and emergency services, even during training, which would have been a viable solution. Please visit hospitals and emergency services in other countries, our allies and partners. Just look.

It is worth clarifying that a medical degree in Portugal lasts six years, followed by two years of general internship and between four and six years to obtain a specialty. We are therefore talking about a course that can take up to 14 years — which highlights the gap compared to other countries where medical training is more agile. In the name of a NHS without dramas or difficulties, wouldn't it be more sensible to start at the root of the problem?

The texts in this section reflect the personal opinions of the authors. They do not represent VISÃO nor do they reflect its editorial position.