The NHS units spent 465 million euros with the payment of 17.9 million hours of supplementary work by 2024, the year when hiring medical services cost almost 230 million euros to hospitals.
The data are contained in the Public Finance Council report (CFP) on the performance of the National Health Service (NHS) last year, they were released and indicate that the 17.9 million supplementary work hours made by 2024 represented an increase of 5.3% in relation to 2023.
“However, the charge with supplementary hours only increased 0.12% by registering a total of 465 million euros,” says the independent entity that supervises compliance with budget rules and the sustainability of public finances in Portugal.
The document advances that of the total hours of supplementary work, 36% were provided by doctors (6.4 million hours), while nurses secured 5.6 million hours. SNS institutions with the highest supplementary volume of work were the Coimbra Local Health Units (ULS) (1.9 million hours), from Santa Maria (1.3 million) and São José (1.2 million).
The report justifies concentration in these three ULS with the fact that they provide a high level of care differentiation and clinical valences, which attracts a much higher demand in their areas of influence.
The three ULS had an expense of more than 114 million euros with supplementary work, representing about 25% of the global amount spent with this type of work in the NHS, says the CFP.
Regarding hiring medical services, to collect the lack of ULS experts, the report states that last year was a growth of 3.6% in a total of hired hours, corresponding an expense of almost 230 million euros, 11.7% than in 2023. In the last year, 6.3 million hours were hired, of which 5.1 million hours rendered by “Tasfeiros” medicals, especially ULS. From the Algarve, Middle Tagus and Arrábida.
The CFP also advanced that the average rate of absenteeism in the entities of was 12.9%, the same percentage as in 2023. “Absentism assumes particular relevance by its impact on expense, as it may imply the need to resort to temporary hiring and intensify the appeal to supplementary work,” the document warns that higher rates were registered between internal doctors. (17.7%), Operational Assistants (17%) and Nurses (15.3%).
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