“We need quick responses for the National Health Service (SNS), on top of that, there’s only a short time until the summer, we know that emergencies remain chaotic and that there’s a shortage of family doctors. Therefore, health really cannot wait”, the president of Fnam told journalists.

Asked by Lusa whether there are already doctors submitting minutes of refusal in relation to overtime work, Joana Bordalo e Sá stated that some have already reached the federation.

“There aren’t many yet, but there are doctors who are effectively fulfilling their duty of not working more than 150 overtime hours”, she said, highlighting that “April and May are very decisive months”.

The union leader warned that if there are no concrete measures to secure doctors in the National Health Service, the constraints that were observed last year with closed emergency services will happen again in the summer.

“We know that we have few doctors in the National Health Service and we know that summer is just around the corner. We also know that the overwhelming majority of emergency doctors have already reached the maximum 150 hours of overtime that they are obliged to keep”, she explained.

Therefore, “if nothing is done and if there is no sign that we will effectively be able to sign a negotiating protocol and have a serious, competent negotiation, without behind-the-scenes games and with clarity, with loyalty, on both sides, probably we’re going to have a very, very difficult summer.”