“Another thing we are working on is transforming the existing units into Family Health Units, reorganizing them, because that attracts family doctors,” explained Inês Rosendo following a working meeting with local officials from the Leiria Region Intermunicipal Community in Alvaiázere, which she attended alongside the ULS president.

Rosendo noted that “meetings are underway to have the teams in this region become Family Health Units.”

“Some already are; there are units in Figueiró [dos Vinhos], Alvaiázere, and Ansião, but Castanheira [de Pera] and Pedrógão Grande were the two that lacked a full complement of doctors, so they couldn't even move forward with this type of unit,” she clarified.

According to the ULS official, these locations are motivated to create USFs “because it attracts doctors to the region.”

“And it doesn't have to be the same doctors for 30 years. When some leave, others come in; the important thing is to always have family doctors in this region,” she emphasised, noting that USFs, “due to their organisation and the incentives they offer, encourage people to stay.”

Meanwhile, the president of the Coimbra ULS, Francisco Maio Matos, highlighted that full coverage by family doctors has been achieved.

“We still have some list realignments, so there might be a patient who isn't yet assigned to a specific list,” he admitted, specifying that they are “in the process of reorganisation.” However, he added that the current “human resource staffing” allows the Coimbra ULS to “provide coverage for all” patients, something that had not happened “for decades.” Acknowledging that retaining these professionals is another challenge, Francisco Maio Matos took the view that they stay because the ULS’s general and family medicine project “is inspiring, ambitious, and forward-looking.”

“One of the things we did differently regarding this talent attraction and retention project is that we didn't engage in bidding wars. (…) We presented geographical contexts and regional dynamics, rather than focusing on who offers the most money to secure a doctor,” she noted.

According to the official, the goal is to find “people who seek out ULS Coimbra for a future-oriented project”, such as those interested in conducting research or pursuing academic ambitions.

Inês Rosendo added that “making these locations attractive to new family doctors is about these factors: doctors feeling they can do more, while also feeling they are in a place where they make a difference and can truly help.”

On 1 July, ULS Coimbra announced that it had achieved full coverage of family doctors for more than 450,000 patients registered within its service area.

“This is the first time ULS Coimbra has managed to fill all open family physician vacancies,” the organisation stated. It covers 21 municipalities in the Central region, with 461,971 patients registered for primary healthcare as of 31 May.

At issue were 17 family medicine vacancies across 10 municipalities; all of them were filled.

The Leiria Region Intermunicipal Community comprises Alvaiázere, Ansião, Batalha, Castanheira de Pera, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Leiria, Marinha Grande, Pedrógão Grande, Pombal, and Porto de Mós.

Batalha, Leiria, Marinha Grande, Pombal, and Porto de Mós are part of the Leiria Region Local Health Unit (ULS).