SNS has opened the way for nurse recruitment: So what will happen to the doctor shortage?

In Portugal, the Ministries of Finance and Health approved the new framework, paving the way for SNS's human resources planning for the 2026-2028 period. The decision is important in removing obstacles to the recruitment of approximately 3 thousand newly graduated nurses. But the problem is not limited to nurses: the public healthcare system also continues to need family physicians and hospital specialists.

The long-awaited human resources planning document of SNS, the state health system in Portugal, has finally been published.

The SNS 2026-2028 Global Reference Framework (Quadro Global de Referência – QGR), signed by Minister of Finance Joaquim Miranda Sarmento and Minister of Health Ana Paula Martins, was published in Diário da República on September 4.

The document forms the basis for health institutions to plan their activities, budgets, investments and the personnel they need in the next three years.

Within the scope of the new framework, SNS organizations are allowed to recruit new and indefinite contracted personnel in 2026, up to a total of 1.4 percent compared to the number of employees on December 31, 2025.

Approximately 3 thousand new nurses are waiting to be employed

The decision comes at a critical time, especially for nurses.

The Portuguese Chamber of Nurses announced just a few days ago that approximately 3 thousand newly graduated nurses were ready to enter the job market, but SNS institutions were having difficulty recruiting new staff because the necessary organizational plans were not approved.

Chamber President Luís Filipe Barreira warned that the delay could cause new graduates to turn to the private sector or other countries with higher wages.

The Chamber of Nurses also argues that the shortage of nurses in SNS is approximately 14 thousand people.

Following the publication of the QGR, the Chamber welcomed the decision but emphasized that recruitment should now start quickly.

The problem is not just the nurse

The human resource problem at SNS is not limited to nurses.

The Portuguese health administration's own recruitment figures also show that the need for doctors continues.

Central Administration of Health Systems ACSS announced that a total of 2,528 specialist doctor positions were opened for services affiliated with SNS and the Ministry of Health in May 2026.

Of these:

711 of them are family medicine,

68 public health,

1,749 were reserved for hospital specialties.

The branches with the most vacancies on the hospital side include internal medicine, anesthesiology, pediatrics, gynecology and obstetrics, general surgery, orthopedics and psychiatry.

These figures alone do not mean that there are “2,528 doctors missing” in Portugal; These are expert positions opened by the state to fill them. However, the number shows the magnitude of the need to increase SNS's physician capacity.

Will more staff mean shorter appointments?

For the patient, the real issue is how long it takes to access healthcare rather than how many people are employed.

Portugal has legal maximum response times for SNS.

According to the Health Regulatory Authority ERS, a patient who applies to primary healthcare due to an acute illness should be evaluated on the same day.

If a health center appointment is requested for a non-acute reason, the maximum period is 15 business days.

The duration of hospital specialty appointments varies depending on the patient's clinical priority.

Therefore, whether it is appropriate to reschedule an appointment weeks into the future cannot be determined simply by looking at the expected number of days; It is also important whether the patient's complaint is acute or not and which clinical priority group he is placed in.

However, the real success for SNS will be that the announced staff increases will be felt in the daily lives of patients.

A patient's ability to reach a family doctor, to be evaluated within a reasonable time in specialties such as ophthalmology, and to have tests and surgeries performed on time, show the capacity of the health system to citizens more directly than personnel statistics.

What does QGR change?

The new regulation does not only allow recruitment.

In the 2026-2028 period, SNS institutions are also asked to gradually increase access to health services, production, quality and efficiency.

According to official targets, the annual number of doctor's examinations in the SNS is expected to increase from approximately 47.3 million in 2025 to approximately 47.8 million in 2026 and to approximately 48.7 million in 2028.

So the success of the government's framework will be measured not just by how many nurses or doctors are recruited, but by its real impact on appointment times and access to healthcare.

PTNEWSHUB REVIEW

Opening the way for nurse recruitment is positive, but the problem in SNS is not only the lack of nurses. If an appointment can be made 45 days later even for a health problem such as a simple bloodshot eye or suspicion of infection, what becomes important for citizens is not how many personnel the system employs, but when they can reach a doctor. The capacity of both doctors and nurses needs to be increased and this should be reflected in appointment times.

PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE

If you think that a medical appointment was made too late on SNS, you can check the legal maximum response times called Tempos Máximos de Resposta Guarantedos (TMRG).

According to ERS:

Primary care visit due to acute illness: same day

Non-acute primary care appointment: up to 15 business days

First hospital specialist appointment: different times depending on clinical priority

Patients can ask the healthcare provider which clinical priority level they are given and learn the duration of TMRG that should be applied.

REVIEWED SOURCES

Portugal Resident — Natasha Donn, September 4, 2026: Source news on the Ministry of Finance's approval of the QGR document, which paves the way for the recruitment of nurses and other healthcare workers on SNS. News based on SIC Notícias and Expresso.

Diário da República — Despacho n.º 10981-A/2026, 4 September 2026: Regulation formally approving the SNS's Global Reference Framework 2026-2028. New recruitments, human resources targets and health service production indicators were examined.

Ordem dos Enfermeiros — September 4, 2026: Official statement on the approval of the QGR. It was confirmed that approximately 3 thousand new nurses are ready to enter the labor market and the Chamber's request to accelerate recruitment.

Ordem dos Enfermeiros — August 31, 2026: Statement that PDO delays hinder nurse recruitment. The chamber states that there are approximately 14 thousand nursing vacancies in SNS.

ACSS — May 11, 2026: Official announcement that 2,528 specialist doctor positions were opened for SNS and the Ministry of Health. There are 711 family medicine, 68 public health and 1,749 hospital specialist staff.

ERS — Tempos Máximos de Resposta Garantidos: Legal maximum response times valid for access to scheduled health services on SNS were examined.