Temido told journalists in Coimbra that from the start of the strike, the ministry of health and the Portuguese NHS boards of directors of hospitals had looked for skeleton services to be met at operating blocks.

Portugal's government last Thursday announced that it had decided to impose a civil requisition to counter the effects of a strike by nurses that has been going on for over a week now, citing what it said was a failure to comply with legally-mandated skeleton services.

Nurses in public sector health institutions in Portugal have been pressing for a full calculation of seniority points for the purpose of unfreezing career progression for months and protesting against the Ministry of Health's ending of talks on their career structure.

Portuguese nurses' trade union Sindepor announced on Friday that it intends to seek an injunction to suspend a civil requisition imposed by the government on Thursday to counter the effects of a strike by nurses.