The head of Portugal’s association of doctors visited Faro Hospital on Tuesday (August 28) and painted a dire picture of the region’s public hospitals, naming pressing issues affecting healthcare and confirming what everyone already knows – most doctors do not want to work in the Algarve’s public hospitals.
“The interns who come to the Algarve either stay in the region to work in the private health sector or end up leaving after a year,” Miguel Guimarães told reporters, explaining that doctors do not want to work under the “extreme pressure” they face in the Algarve.
As Barlavento newspaper wrote, Guimarães needed a ‘cheat sheet’ to list all the things he found wrong at Faro Hospital.
“There aren’t enough doctors in the gynaecology, obstetrics, internal medicine, otolaryngology, ophthalmology and anaesthesiology specialties which seriously affects surgical procedures at the hospital,” he said.
“Paediatrics also suffers from serious deficiencies, as well as dermatology and orthopaedics, which forces many patients to be transferred to Lisbon when they could be treated here.”
There are also “deficiencies in other specialties including hematology, urology and radiology”.
He also said that investing in the region should be a “government priority”.
“The Algarve is very important as it is the image of our country abroad, both for good and bad reasons,” Guimarães added.
Photo: Miguel Guimarães, head of the doctors’ association (Ordem dos Médicos)
Photo by: BRUNO FILIPE PIRES/OPEN MEDIA GROUP
