Patients diagnosed with burnout or occupational exhaustion are increasingly being declared fit for work by medical boards (juntas médicas). These cases involve patients who were previously on medical leave but are now being required to return to their jobs following board assessments.
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The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport states that all psychologist invoices submitted within the 90-day payment window are being paid, claiming that reported delays are due to consultations performed without a valid voucher. The Ministry also announced that automation improvements to the platform supporting the 'Cuida-te' program—which provides free psychological and nutritional consultations for youth aged 12 to 35—will be completed in the coming days to address voucher issuance delays.
A new Ministry of Health order, in effect since Friday 23 October, mandates that doctors working in internal hospital emergency departments must support external emergency services during periods of high pressure or patient influx. The Medical Association and the Independent Doctors' Union have criticized the move, arguing that redirecting resources from the care of admitted, often fragile, patients to external urgencies risks creating further instability within hospitals.
The Socialist Party (PS) has formally requested that the government review a recent regulation that limits the state subsidy for obesity medications to 15%. They argue the low subsidy makes the treatment unaffordable for low- and middle-income families and criticize the restriction that only hospital-based specialists—rather than family doctors—can prescribe the medication.