The Medical Association and family doctors are demanding a revision of the decree that removes family doctors from the regular follow-up care of low-risk pregnant women.
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The Ministry of Health has launched a pilot project allowing specialist maternal and obstetric health nurses to monitor low-risk pregnancies in primary care for women who do not have an assigned family doctor. The Minister stated the measure follows Directorate-General for Health guidelines and ensures patients are immediately referred to a medical team if any complications arise. The model, recently published in the Diário da República, has faced criticism from the Medical Association and the Association of General and Family Medicine.
The Medical Association (Ordem dos Médicos) has requested urgent clarifications regarding reported errors in the new online platform used by doctors to select their medical specialty training this year. This digital system replaces the traditional in-person process for the first time.
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.