Seguro: Portugal-Spain Healthcare Cross-Border Endorsement

Portugal will once again be dyed, for one more term, in socialist red. The citizens of the Portuguese country have spoken, and have elected António José Seguro as the new president of the republic. In fact, the result obtained by the leader of the Socialist Party has been devastating, since he has achieved close to 67 percent of votes in the second electoral round compared to 33 percent of Chega’s candidate, Andre Ventura.

Thus, starting this Monday, the Portuguese Executive will be headed by a moderate profile whose policies will have a priority: health. And he has made it clear on numerous occasions. For Seguro, health should be a universal right of all Portuguese “regardless of where they live and the money they have in their pockets”, as reflected in his political program with which he has managed to win the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal.

For now, Seguro will still have to decide who will be its ministers and, therefore, who will face the main challenges that have remained in the air with the previous Government. “The new president of the republic will face a particularly demanding task“, says a Medical Writing Joana Bordalo and Sápresident of the Northern Doctors’ Union and vice-president of the National Federation of Doctors (FNAM).

“Chaotic” situation in Portuguese healthcare

As he explains, “in health matters, the storm continues to devastate the National Health Service (SNS)which remains in a chaotic situation, not seeing, on the part of the Government of Montenegro – former prime minister – a true political will to negotiate.” Even so, this change of leadership can give way, for example, to greater collaboration between our country and the Portuguese State: “Although at this moment there is no legal context that establishes structural cooperation in the area of health between Spain and Portugal, it would make sense to move now in that direction, especially in the Iberian logic and particularly in cross-border regions“.

An institutional collaboration that, first of all, will be carried out, since the Governments of both countries share political sign. In fact, Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE could see in Seguro an ally with which to go ‘on one’ in international meetings.

Although the cross-border healthcare be one of the main challenges of the next leader in health matters, there is more: “The president stated that one of his priorities will be health. Therefore, the improvement of the working conditions of doctors is a direct responsibility of the Executive”, points out Bordalo e Sá.

From the point of view of the union leader, “the FNAM activated all the legal mechanisms at its disposal, preceded by a strong protest movement, precisely to force the Government of Montenegro and the Minister of Health Ana Paula Martins to sit at the negotiating table with the doctors with the aim of integrating essential measures to attract and retain professionals in the SNS.” But now, after the resolution of the last presidential elections, there is hope at the Portuguese medical and union summit.

From medical careers to salary tables

And there are many improvements that the National Medical Federation will try to achieve to “incentivize doctors to remain in Portugal.” Among them, “improving salary tablesthe evaluation of professional career progression, the reintegration of the internship into the medical career, the review of the weekly working day, the replacement of lost holidays, effective paternity protection policies and the creation of a regime of optional exclusive dedication and duly valued“.”They would be decisive in attracting more doctors to the SNS,” notes Bordalo de Sá.

With their clear demands, a new stage of negotiation opens for Portuguese doctors. For them, there is a lot at stake, but everything will depend on the next health minister and his capacity for dialogue.