New Doctors at Medio Tejo Health Centers Leave 50,000 Users

The Mediocre Tegu Health Center (ACES) group has hired five family doctors, a condition health users say is “inadequate and worrying”, after it called up 12 vacancies in competition and the current shortfall of 28 doctors. “In the last national competition, 22 vacancies were requested for family physicians, 12 were allocated and only five were filled, which is clearly insufficient,” says Manuel Soares, spokesperson for Medio Tigo’s Health Users Committee. That there is a “deficit of 28 professionals” for medical care and that “more than 20% of the population do not have a designated physician,” about 50,000 users, in a case rated as “disturbing.”
Manuel Soares said it is medical care that suffers the most because it is not possible to guarantee the opening of health units nearby at the moment, adding that “only five doctors have been appointed, specifically one in Entroncamento, two in Ourem and two in Tomar”, and that the most municipalities Affected are Abrantes, Alcanina and Orem. The representative of CUSMT reported the results of the meeting with the Executive Director of ACES Médio Tejo, Diana Leiria, held on August 16, having received the information that for vacancies that had not yet been filled, they would be opened until the end of August. New contest. “The vision is believable,” he asserts, “but let’s hope there were at least three or four doctors who could actually come in, and they wouldn’t have a place elsewhere.”
ACES Médio Tejo asserts that “it currently has about 50,000 users without a family doctor appointment, so you’ll need 28 general and family medicine doctors to ensure a doctor for all registered and regular users.”
When asked about CUSMT’s position on the “need to set up more community care units, with nurses and operational assistants”, the “urgent” change in “physical conditions for the provision of medical care and the opening of a new tender by the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Health Administration (ARSLVT) says, Diana Leria that “the solution found for ACES Médio Tejo will be the solution found for the region and the country.” He adds that “unfortunately, this is a national problem, cross-cutting at all levels of care.”
A CUSMT spokesperson said that the committee would remain “attentive and committed” and that “it is justified in every way that users put pressure on municipalities not to give up this request for the close care of all residents” of Medio Tigo, as well as CUSMT itself will put pressure on the relevant authorities, not only regarding It pertains to physicians, but in relation to other professionals, such as technical assistants and nurses.
ACES Médio Tejo covers an area of ​​2,706 square kilometers and covers 11 municipalities with approximately 225,000 users/visitors, including the municipalities of Abrantes, Alcanina, Constancia, Entroncamento, Ferreira do Zézire, Macau, Ourem, Sardual, Tomar, Torres Novas and Vila Nova da Barquinha, all in the province of Santarem.

Troubled Oral Health Offices

In 12 health centers in Medio Tigo there are oral and dental health offices. A spokesperson for Medio Tejo’s Health Users Committee, Manuel Soares, says that offices arrived late and that of the 12 health centers, only five are operational and have professionals “that, in the case of Fatima, Masao, Ferreira do Zêzere, Alcanena, Sardoal, Constância and Torres Novas, the professionals left the service in the offices.He asserts: “Previously there was no oral hygiene because there were no offices, equipment and conditions, today there are offices, equipment and conditions and there are no specialists.”
A new meeting with ACES is scheduled for September to discuss, among other things, the issue of oral health offices and to see the prospects for the near future and the future in the medium term.