Doctors, nurses, and all medical staff in hospitals are people who should be highly valued. After all, they are the ones who give up their time so that anyone in need of help can always count on it. It is thanks to them that surgeries and other medical procedures lasting for hours can be carried out—all in the name of health and life. Unfortunately, doctors are not treated as they should be in many countries, often resulting in public protests.

Hospital workers in Portugal have had enough. On Tuesday, 23 July, they began protests in the streets of major cities. Furthermore, they did not report to work, deciding that during the strikes, they would refrain from performing most surgeries, except those that were life-threatening. The doctors demand better treatment from the government, higher salaries, and improved care for hospital patients.

The National Federation of Medics (FNAM) organised the protest. Speaking to the media, representatives stated that several hundred medics nationwide did not go to work on Tuesday, 23 July. They are demanding better working conditions and higher wages. They emphasise that, in their view, the government, led by Health Minister Ana Paula Martins, is undermining the public health service.

"On the first day of the strike, 90% of hospital staff participated," reads an official statement from FNAM. The statement added that some doctors in outpatient clinics also refused to perform their professional duties on Tuesday. Doctors' strikes took place in Lisbon, Santa Maria, Porto, and Coimbra, among other cities. The protesters highlight a staff shortage in medical facilities, making providing the highest level of patient care impossible.

Source: tvn24.pl