300 Cuban Doctors to Reinforce the Portuguese Health System

Prime Minister Antonio Costa plans to strengthen the National Health Service (NHS) through the hiring of 300 Cuban doctors who will work in Portugal for three years.

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Portuguese authorities have already initiated the procedures for these professionals to join the public system as soon as possible, taking into account the various steps that foreigners outside the European territory must go through before being considered eligible.

To become qualified, doctors from third countries must undergo several tests, not only in medicine but also in Portuguese, for example.

This is not the first time that Portugal has turned to Cuban doctors, as in 2009, it welcomed 44 doctors to reinforce the public network in the regions of Ribatejo, Alentejo, and Algarve.

The hiring of foreign healthcare professionals is complementary to national ones and aims to contribute to the adequate provision of human resources and response capacity of the NHS.

In 2022, the Portuguese public system had 1,270 foreign doctors, and the number of foreign health professionals registered with the Medical Board was 4,503.

The news about the hiring of Cuban doctors comes amidst a two-day strike called by the National Federation of Doctors (FNAM) to demand salary and labor improvements.

If an agreement is not reached with the Health Ministry, Portuguese doctors do not rule out another strike in early August.

Healthcare has generated the most complaints over the past year, marked by a crisis in emergency services, especially in maternity and obstetrics, due to the lack of resources.