The Portuguese Medical Association (Ordem dos Médicos), the Council of Portuguese Medical Schools (Conselho de Escolas Médicas Portuguesas) and the Medical Students' Associations (Associações de Estudantes de Medicina) have created the Medical Education Forum, a broad structure with the aim of reflecting on and presenting solutions in the field of pre- and post-graduate medical education.
As part of the Forum, it was decided to set up a working group to come up with proposals to speed up the recognition of academic qualifications, allowing for greater speed in a process that can currently take several years.
The Forum recognized the worrying difficulty the National Health Service has in hiring the necessary doctors in areas of differentiation and in the areas of the country most in need. The Forum therefore intends to make every effort to contribute and promote solutions that can help the NHS, namely by speeding up the recognition process and maintaining the high standard of quality in the undergraduate and postgraduate training of doctors practicing in Portugal. A working group was set up by the Portuguese Medical Association/Council of Medical Schools with the aim of presenting a proposal to speed up the process of recognizing foreign doctors' diplomas, making it faster and respecting the quality standards in force in Portugal.
For Carlos Cortes, President of the Portuguese Medical Association, "the current state of the NHS demands that all those involved in medicine in Portugal be united and committed to finding solutions that help increase the number of doctors in the NHS". "Streamlining does not mean making things easier, but rather finding ways to be more effective and swifter in recognizing the degree of medicine for all professionals who have training of recognized quality and who can offer safe conditions to patients," added Carlos Cortes.
Helena Canhão, President of the Council of Portuguese Medical Schools, reiterates the words of the President of the Portuguese Medical Association and stresses that "it is essential to maintain patient safety and ensure that doctors practicing medicine in Portugal have excellent training, are prepared to communicate with patients, and have the technical knowledge necessary to diagnose and treat diseases and promote health. "
Vasco Cremon de Lemos, President of the National Association of Medical Students, stresses that "at this time, it is essential to ensure the unity and concerted work of the various players involved in medical training in Portugal. Only in this way will we be able to guarantee the continued quality of this training and the provision of decent health care in Portugal": President of the Portuguese Medical Association, Regional Council of the Center of the Portuguese Medical Association, Regional Council of the North of the Portuguese Medical Association, Regional Council of the South of the Portuguese Medical Association, Directors of the Medical Schools of the Universities of Minho, Porto, Beira Interior, Coimbra, Lisboa, NOVA and Algarve, President of the National Association of Medical Students and Presidents of the Student Associations/Nuclei of the Medical Schools of the Universities of Minho, Porto, Beira Interior, Coimbra, Lisboa, NOVA and Algarve.