Doctors from outside the EU are waiting years to get their qualifications recognised by Portugal's University Medical Schools, an essential step before they can join the Ordem de Médicos and practice in Portugal.
The Ordem dos Médicos is keen to have new members who, it says, can start to fill the yawning gaps in the National Health Service, particularly in the Algarve, the islands and inland regions.
One Portuguese-Venezuelan doctor, interviewed by Público, has been a doctor for 20 years, has been a specialist in gynecology and obstetrics for 15 years and has been waiting almost three years to be able to practice as a specialist in Portugal.
The delay is due to Portugal’s bureaucracy that involves the formal recognition of all her academic and professional competences - her master's and doctorate studies at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas and the almost two decades of work in the main Venezuelan maternity hospital.
There are many Venezuelan Doctors queuing up to work in Portugal. The Association of Luso-Venezuelan Physicians estimates that of its 250 members, about 120 have tried to emigrate to Portugal after the socio-economic and political crisis made them decide to leave Venezuela.
Doctors trained in Venezuelan universities, with 15, 20, 30 years of experience, arrive in Portugal and face two to three years waiting until their medical qualifications and credentials are recognised.
The situation is the same for any doctor trained outside the European Union. The rules of entry are being ‘reviewed by the Council of Portuguese Medical Schools. So far this year, medical schools have refused even to look at applications from non-EU doctors, the queues are growing and many doctors go elsewhere, such as Spain where they wait an average of three months before being able to continue their careers.
Even when highly trained specialists do get admitted to Portugal, they then spend years waiting to have their additional qualifications and specialities recognised, meaning they are limited to working at GP level, without career progression.
One Venezuelan doctor commented, "You cannot ask a doctor with specialised training, a postgraduate and with a doctorate, to act as a general practitioner. In no country in the world does this happen."
Portugal’s health service is short of at least 4,000 doctors before it achieves an internationally recognised ratio.
The Ordem de Médicos wants to attract immigrant doctors and see them accredited swiftly and efficiently but the government and the university medical schools clearly do not or this would already be happening.
Comments
If the story of a "qualified" doctor from Pakistan who botched up a procedure to withdraw spinal fluid from your relative ten times over is true I am glad that the nurse in shining white was around to rectify the situation. I presume she was the one keeping track and counting the number of unsuccessful attempts.
In the meantime just as a matter of interest, maybe you should know that a lot of people of all ethnicities especially those resident in the UK chose india for specialized surgery and treatment. Coincidentally not many bring their english nurses in tow.
The reputation for quality in the Indian subcontinent may have suffered as a result of the "Americanisation"of education where super rich students get into specially set up medical schools where they pay their way through.This garbage is (not unknowingly) clubbed with the rest to arrive at a "median". The same Median that is conveniently used by home grown Medical councils like those in Portugal to protect their restive mediocrity .
The older institutions ,in India have for long a fertile recruiting ground for top level medical research institutes and universities in the US and the UK . Many a pompous EU doctor would probably not get past their entrance tests.
Hard truth , face it. Get educated. Your doctors need to get competent professionally not quiver in fright when competition arrives.
Well done to Portugal for doing their job as it should be done!
Anyone who calls everyone who has a different opinion on the actions required before allowing a foreigner to practice medicine "racist" loses all credibility with me, especially as my wife had poor treatment in g the UK by a "Doctor" who was later found to have African qualifications only as a hospital bedmaker. Congratulations Portugal in doing the right thing your own way.
All would agree these checks are vital, the criticism is of the time taken in Portugal while the medical schools dither and delay.
It is reported that Spain's thorough investigations take three months.
There were no such lengthy delays in 2014 when the Health Ministry brought in Doctors from Cuba at a cost to the Portuguese taxpayer of €5,900 a month - each.
I suspect deliberate delaying tactics from the University medical schools in a misguided attempt to restrict much needed intake.
in-depth investigations into the qualifications of non-EU doctor's as our lives may depend on these investigations.
A "qualified" doctor from Pakistan who treated a relation of mine in the UK, had to administer a routine procedure to withdraw fluid from the spine, he made 10 attempts, causing a great deal of pain and distress to the patient, he was not able to carry out this procedure and a nurse had to finish it.for him.
Thankfully this was not a life or death situation, but I am now fully aware of the importance of strict investigations into medical qualifications.
A Brit academic neighbour out here known to my husband and I, a globally recognised specialist in Community Regeneration so of obvious vale in Portugal, aiming for higher level lecturing being told to go away and get his 20+ publications in English language refereed journals re-translated to Portuguese. Costing him many thousands and entirely pointless as these English language journals, being anonymously refereed by other specialists, are where serious, credible, Lusophone researchers want their own work published in!