Regional Government to promote medical career development - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Saúde e Segurança Social

The Secretary for Health and Social Security, Mónica Seidi, was heard today at the Committee on General Policy regarding the proposal for a Regional Legislative Decree establishing the rules and procedures for the progress of medical careers within the services and organisations comprising the Regional Health Service of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

The government official pointed out that this proposal has been agreed since November 2023 with the unions representing the medical profession. It restores justice to the performance evaluation of doctors.

"Considering that the medical career was frozen until 2018, it was important to reinstate measures that would bring dignity to these careers, as was done with other professionals in the sector," explained the Regional Secretary.

She continued: "We will also award one and a half points to each doctor between 2009 and 2018, for each year of work."

She also stated that this situation will naturally give rise to retroactive payments, which will be made in a series of instalments, also agreed with the unions, since this involves an amount of more than three million Euros.

Mónica Seidi also announced that this measure will cover about 250 doctors. As of January 1, 2018, these professionals were in a position to score 10 points to progress in their careers, as will the rest of the profession in the following years.

It should also be noted that the performance evaluation model for the medical career to be implemented in the Region is part of the negotiating table protocol signed last week with the representatives of the medical profession. The awarding of 1.5 points is safeguarded until its implementation.

Negotiations within the framework of the negotiating table will run until January 2025. They show "the strong commitment that this Government, as in the previous term, has shown to promoting our health professionals," she said.