The lack of physicians in primary health care remains a serious problem in various regions of the country, and the Algarve is no exception. To try to combat this reality, city councils have been betting on financial and housing incentives to attract family doctors. However, in some municipalities in the region, these measures have not yet produced the expected results.
Alcoutim continues with only one doctor
In Alcoutim, one of the municipalities most affected by population aging and desertification, the municipality has announced several supports to the fixation of doctors, but so far only has kept the only clinician who ever worked in the municipality.
“With two doctors, the county would be well served,” the mayor Paulo Paulino told Lusa, who regrets the difficulty in attracting professionals to the region. The mayor pointed out that the problem has worsened since the creation of Type B Family Health Units (USF), which offer better salary conditions to doctors in neighboring municipalities, leaving Alcoutim with sufficient number of users to qualify for this model.
Monchique bets on housing support, but doctors are missing
In the far west of the Algarve, the Monchique Chamber implemented, by 2023, a regulation of incentives for the fixing of doctors, offering up to 80% of the minimum wage to support the housing, either lease or residence. Currently, two full -time doctors benefit from this program, while on weekends, the service is secured by doctors sent by the Local Health Unit (ULS).
Despite these efforts, there are still users without a family doctor, and the mayor, Paulo Alves, considers the arrival of at least another doctor essential. However, this request faces resistance due to the ratios of doctors per inhabitant defined by ULS.
Challenges in the fixation of doctors in the Algarve
The Algarve has been one of the regions most affected by the lack of doctors in the municipalities such as Alcoutim and Monchique facing added difficulties due to their location and less attractiveness compared to urban areas.
The measures adopted by some algarve autarchies follow examples already tested in other regions of the country, such as Monsaraz Reguengos, where the number of doctors rose from two to seven thanks to salary complements and housing supply, which offers a bonus of 2,500 euros per month to attract professionals.
The lack of family doctors remains one of the main concerns of the Algarve populations and authorities, and the effectiveness of these incentives will be decisive to ensure better health care in the region.
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