Hospitals in Angola and Portugal grapple with critical staffing shortages

In Angola, the National Doctors' Union (SINMEA) warned that the six thousand new health‑worker positions announced by the government are insufficient to address the chronic shortage of staff in hospitals across the country. Union president Adriano Manuel highlighted that intensive‑care units sometimes operate with only ten to twelve nurses, while some emergency units have merely one or two nurses and a single doctor, creating unsafe conditions and heavy psychological strain for staff. The public recruitment drive, launched on 13 July, has already attracted more than 170 000 applicants for roughly 6 000 vacancies, including 1 545 positions for doctors, 1 828 for nurses and 1 255 for diagnostic technicians.

In Portugal, the emergency department of Braga Hospital is facing “enormous overload” and “sub‑dimensioned teams”, according to union leader Joana Bordalo e Sá. The local health authority reported that only three specialist doctors are regularly present in the department, far fewer than the five or six needed, forcing reliance on external service providers. Obstetrics services are also understaffed, with few gynecologists or obstetricians available, leading to unsafe patient care and the need to refer patients elsewhere. Both unions called for urgent measures to prevent further deterioration of patient safety and staff well‑being.