Azorean Government advocates reinstatement of preferential vacancies to bolster Regional Health Service - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social

The Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, attended the meeting of the National Council for Medical Internships, held today at Quinta da Nasce Água in Angra do Heroísmo, where she reiterated the Regional Government’s strategic goal to reinstate preferential vacancies for access to medical specialities.

The government official emphasised that the Autonomous Region of the Azores intends to ensure that the possibility of allocating these vacancies is restored as early as the next medical speciality selection process, usually held at the end of November. 

Mónica Seidi pointed out that the elimination of these vacancies, about a decade ago, represented a significant setback in the Region’s ability to attract and retain doctors, particularly in specialities which, whilst already attractive nationwide, become more difficult to secure in an outermost region.

The Regional Secretary also highlighted the work being carried out by the Regional Medical Internship Commission, in conjunction with the National Medical Internship Commission, to support this endeavour.

Also, in the context of attracting and retaining healthcare professionals in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, the government official highlighted that the order approving the regulations governing the allocation of a rent allowance for medical staff working outside the Region or on an island other than the one where they are based was published today in the Official Journal.

The Regional Government of the Azores confirmed that it will urge the Minister of Health to reinstate preferential vacancies, considering this to be “a pressing need for the sustainability and quality of the Regional Health Service,” concluded Mónica Seidi.