New formula against doctor shortage in Portugal: Housing, tax advantage and regional incentives are on the table

While the problem of finding doctors and keeping existing doctors within the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS) continues in Portugal, especially in the interior parts of the country, the Algarve and the islands, Ordem dos Médicos proposes a more comprehensive incentive model to the government.

The professional organization argues that simply attracting doctors to certain regions with higher wages is not enough; It wants to create a permanent model that addresses housing support, tax advantages, settlement incentives, career opportunities and the integration of families into the region.

The basic message is that Portugal's problem is not just how many doctors it has, but where they work and how long they stay in the SNS.

There are doctors, but not to the same extent in every region.

In discussions about healthcare personnel in Portugal, the total number of doctors across the country alone does not indicate the magnitude of the problem.

It is more difficult to recruit and retain doctors in some specialties for a long time, especially in the interior regions where population density is low, in certain regions such as the Algarve and the Azores.

For this reason, while some health units in Portugal have difficulty filling their staff, the system may resort to doctors working overtime or on temporary service contracts.

Ordem dos Médicos opposes managing this situation with temporary solutions.

The institution determines in advance the real need on the basis of region and expertise for the sustainability of health services and He advocates not only recruiting doctors but also creating conditions that will enable them to stay in that area.

The proposals on the table are not just salary increases

Financial incentives are important but not the only element in the approach Ordem dos Médicos is working on.

Suggestions include facilitating doctors' access to housing in the regions where they will work, providing certain tax advantages, supporting the relocation and settlement process, and making career development more attractive.

The family factor is also taken into account.

Moving a doctor from Lisbon or Porto to a smaller city doesn't just mean a change of job. The spouse's ability to find a job, children's education, housing, transportation and professional development opportunities also affect the decision.

For this reason, Ordem asked for the evaluation of non-financial incentives such as integration with higher education institutions and local communities in the working group he previously formed.

Which regions are more critical?

The problem is especially pronounced in low-population density areas where it is difficult to attract medical personnel.

Ordem dos Médicos has previously highlighted the risk of losing some expertise in regions such as Évora, Beja and Portalegre.

In the current system, the government can classify some health institutions and specialties as “zonas carenciadas”, that is, regions where the need for personnel is particularly high, and make additional recruitment decisions in these areas. incentives can be applied.

However, Ordem dos Médicos wants a more predictable country-wide policy to be established instead of individual and periodic incentives.

Anesthesiology is one of the alarming fields

A current example of the problem is anesthesiology.

Ordem dos Médicos said in a statement on September 4 that the SNS must regain its capacity to attract and retain anesthesiologists.

The institution wants to identify the real need in each region, calculate upcoming retirements in advance, and recruit new experts before the need arises.

Because a hospital losing an anesthesiologist does not mean only one less doctor.

Lack of anesthesiology capacity can also affect surgeries, intensive care services and other medical procedures.

The government has already introduced special incentives for overtime

To manage the doctor shortage, the government also took new measures in 2026.

Decreto-Lei n.º 119/2026, which came into force in June, established a special remuneration system for additional work performed by SNS doctors after exceeding the legal annual overtime limit.

The system was introduced specifically to maintain the operation of emergency services, intensive care and intermediate care units.

Additional pay increases gradually over specific 48-hour blocks of overtime.

However, the main objection of Ordem dos Médicos emerges here. comes out.

According to the professional organisation, SNS's personnel policy of requiring doctors to work more hours is not sustainable in the long term.

“SNS cannot be kept afloat with overtime”

Ordem dos Médicos has previously argued explicitly in evaluating government overtime incentives that the SNS should not become structurally dependent on doctors being overworked.

According to the professional organization, overtime and temporary service recruitment may be necessary in emergencies, but replacing permanent staffing policies creates risks in terms of doctor fatigue, team instability and continuity of health care.

The government also made regulations that made employing doctors on a service contract more exceptional.

The regulation adopted in May aimed to prevent such contracts from replacing permanent public employment and to give priority to specialist doctors.

Therefore, the center of the debate in the healthcare system is no longer just "how many doctors will be recruited?" There is no question.

The real question is how to ensure that doctors work permanently in which regions.

Part of a larger discussion for SNS

Criticisms of Ordem dos Médicos are not limited to the regional distribution of doctors.

In another statement published on September 5, the institution also found the government's SNS 2026–2028 Quadro Global de Referência targets inadequate.

For example, previously for 2026, citizens While it was aimed for 98 percent of the population to have a family doctor, he criticized the target in the new reference framework being reduced to 85.37 percent.

Ordem also argues that the 1.4 percent limit on new permanent staff recruitment should not prevent health units that really need staff from hiring doctors.

What might change for patients?

Although the discussion may seem like a technical personnel policy, the result directly concerns patients.

Failure to retain doctors permanently in a region can affect many areas, from access to family physicians to specialist appointments, from surgeries to the working capacity of emergency departments.

Especially for those living in the interior of Portugal or in regions where the shortage of healthcare personnel is intense, the issue is whether there are the necessary specialists in their region rather than the total number of doctors in the country.

If the model suggested by Ordem dos Médicos is implemented, Portugal can move to a more regional health personnel policy that evaluates housing, taxes, career and family life together, instead of covering the doctor deficit only with periodic bonuses.

However, at this stage, these are Ordem dos Médicos' suggestions. Such a system that automatically grants doctors housing or new tax benefits has not yet come into force throughout Portugal.

Resources

ECO / Lusa — 11 September 2026 — “Ordem avança com propostas para contrariar medidas “Avulsas na fixação de médicos”

Ordem dos Médicos — September 4, 2026 — “SNS tem de recuperar capacidade para atrair e fixar anestesiologistas”

Ordem dos Médicos — September 5, 2026 — “SNS precisa de mais ambição. “Portugal nao pode resignar-se a um SNS minimo”

Ordem dos Médicos — “Ordem cria grupo de trabalho para combater carência de médicos”

Governo de Portugal — Conselho de Ministros, 7 May 2026

Diário da República — Decreto-Lei n.º 119/2026, 17 June 2026