Doctor shortage leaves Portuguese businesses facing fines

Portuguese businesses are being put at risk of fines because there are not enough occupational health doctors to carry out legally required medical examinations, according to the Portuguese Association of Occupational Health Companies (APEMT).

The association is calling on the government to introduce urgent emergency measures to address what it describes as a critical shortage of specialists, warning that thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of workers are being affected.

Under Portuguese law, all employers must provide occupational health consultations and medical examinations for their employees. However, APEMT says many providers are now unable to meet legal deadlines because of the lack of qualified doctors.

The association argues that employers are being unfairly held responsible for delays beyond their control, leaving them exposed to inspections, administrative proceedings and potentially significant fines.

“Companies want to comply with the law, workers have the right to health surveillance and service providers cannot respond because there are simply not enough occupational health doctors,” APEMT said in a statement. “However, companies continue to be the only ones held responsible”.

It is urging the government to adopt temporary measures to ensure companies are not sanctioned when delays are directly linked to the nationwide shortage of specialists.

According to the association, obtaining occupational health appointments within the legal timeframes has become “simply impossible” in many parts of the country, despite the efforts of service providers.

Calling the situation “unacceptable”, APEMT said it was “not acceptable to demand the impossible and then punish those who are unable to comply”.

It also criticised the government’s response, arguing that while the shortage has been publicly acknowledged, no effective solution has been put in place.

“The State publicly recognises that there is a serious structural problem but presents no effective solution to guarantee the functioning of the system,” the association said. “At the same time, it leaves the sanctions regime untouched, penalising companies that cannot fulfil an obligation whose execution depends on human resources that simply do not exist.”

Source: LUSA

Michael Bruxo

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.