Rodrigo Antunes / Lusa
Health Minister Manuel Pizarro
The issuance of sick leave through the SNS24 line will require the signature of a declaration of honor. Workers will only be able to use these leave between two and six days a year.
The PS decided to clarify its initial proposal which opens the door to issuing medical certificates for up to three days without consultation and will now require the signature of a declaration of honor by the patient.
The idea is to allow users to fill in the declaration, under oath, which is then issued by the SNS 24 line, in a first phase, through telephone contact and, later, digitally.
The change thus meets the requirements of the Medical Association, which recalled that the SNS24 telephone line does not have doctors, who cannot be held responsible in cases of fraud. Miguel Guimarães even pointed out that the measure will have “disastrous consequences soon”.
The Minister of Health, in turn, considers that the change will “free the doctors” and relieve pressure on hospitals and health centers.
“Is reformist measurewith advantages for people, with advantages for the health system and which will free doctors for what is really necessary”, said Manuel Pizarro.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the 2019 National Health Award ceremony, by the Directorate-General for Health, awarded to Constantino Sakellarides, at Infarmed, the Minister of Health considered that “it is a measure in which everyone wins“.
The proposal was also criticized for transferring bureaucracy to the health line. In response, Manuel Pizarro said that “the SNS 24 line has the capacity for that and much more”, recalling that this process has already been tested in the context of covid-19 and “went frankly well”.
According to the official, an average of 700,000 short-term casualties are issued per year, which represents “a small part of what the SNS 24 line can do”, but also a significant relief for health care.
“I am absolutely sure that a good part of what we see in the search for care in hospitals and health centers is caused only by the demand for this declaration”, said the minister, stressing that situations are at stake that could be treated at home.
Currently, he added, people “have to go to the health center or the hospital, where will take a doctor’s appointmentwhich could be used by people who actually need a medical consultation, just to obtain a document”.
Manuel Pizarro also considered that the issuance of this document through the SNS 24 will allow, on the other hand, “to control the system, so that there is no abuse”, since the PS proposal foresees that casualties cannot exceed three consecutive days, up to a limit of six days per year.
Regarding the doctors’ criticism, the Minister of Health insisted that the intention is precisely to reduce the bureaucratic work that professionals “complain about so much”.
“If we are in agreement with the objective we want, and on that I think we are in agreement, let us not be disturbed by the process. We must reach a consensus so that the process please everyone”, he concluded.
