Inspired by a system in Huelva, Spain, this initiative aims to improve healthcare access in the region. The mayor believes that a shared medical team would address local healthcare challenges and ensure continuous medical support for residents in Barrancos and neighbouring areas.

Currently, Barrancos, with a population of about 1,440 residents, faces a gap in medical services since its health centre only operates on weekdays from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Additionally, Barrancos is over 100 kilometres away from the nearest reference hospitals, Beja and Évora, making access to healthcare even more challenging due to poor road connections. Leonel Rodrigues argues that these factors put residents' safety at risk and calls for urgent action to address the lack of continuous medical support.

Therefore, the mayor has proposed the formation of a 24-hour emergency team for the region, which would serve not only Barrancos but also nearby municipalities like Moura and Mourão. Leonel Rodrigues emphasises the need to rethink the National Health Service (SNS) to ensure medical coverage around the clock, as "we don't know when we're going to be sick”.

Beyond the proposal for a rotating medical team, Leonel Rodrigues also calls on the government to improve road access to shorten travel times to larger cities. He points out that Barrancos has been paying for weekend doctor consultations for nearly 20 years due to a shortage of medical professionals, a problem that is not unique to his municipality but widespread across the country.

Highlighting the situation in Encinasola, Spain, where a health centre operates 24/7 despite a doctor shortage, the mayor has urged greater cooperation between Portugal's Ministry of Health and the Andalusian government to allow Portuguese citizens to access healthcare services in Spain, a measure that could benefit both regions in the future.