Portuguese Doctors Go On Strike Over Budget Cuts

According to Portuguese health ministry, the strike which began on Wednesday will lead to the cancellation of 400,000 appointments and nearly 4,500 operations.

“We have no doubt that the strike will be a resounding success and that the protest will assemble thousands of white coats,” said Mario Jorge Neves, head of the National Federation of Doctors.
 

The strike over government’s plan to reduce health spending as part of deep budget cuts to meet the terms of a multi-billion euro bailout deal went ahead after Portuguese unions rejected offer of negotiation from the country’s Health Minister Paulo Maceo.

Protesters say that Lisbon has decreased overtime in hospitals, increased prices for prescription medication and shut down certain services in order to meet cuts from health budget.

Portugal is the third country to succumb to financial troubles in the eurozone debt crisis and seek funding assistance after Greece and Ireland. The country received an EU-International Monetary Fund aid package in exchange for a commitment to impose austerity measures and reform its economy.

Europe plunged into deep financial crisis in 2008. The crisis has continued to intensify in recent months.

The worsening eurozone debt crisis has forced EU governments to adopt harsh austerity measures and tough economic reforms, triggering incidents of social unrest and massive protests in many European countries.

MR/JR