The Portuguese Institute of Oncology (IPO) lacks more than 300 healthcare professionals, most of whom are nurses, and especially nurses trained to provide chemotherapy treatment. In the plans presented for 2021, the IPO required 2,231 specialists to fully complete the necessary oncological treatment. Less than 1900 people worked here a month ago (1884).

The reports are made by the Público newspaper, which on your Friday news release reduction in the number of nurses in the IPO during this year – 71 people have left the Portuguese Institute of Oncology since January, and only 47 have enrolled.

Doctor and Chairman of the Board of Directors João Oliveira told the newspaper: “There are delays that we are trying to resolve, but despite the difficulties, the IPO did not fail. The vast majority of procedures are carried out on time, we do 250 procedures a day. Let’s not just focus on the IPO. Hospitals are struggling for obvious reasons. A strategic decision is needed at the national level, and there is a way in the hands of the government to overcome this problem. ”

The recovery and resilience plan is very clear about the human resource issue, it speaks of an exceptional recruitment regime. We need stable people on social networks, contented, not constantly concerned about their livelihood, ”- said João Oliveira in an interview with Público.

This Monday hematologist, former secretary of state and former health minister Fernando Leal da Costa published an article in Observador condemning the flaws of the IPO. The former ruler wrote: “We have delays in many directions. Delays in the ability to perform imaging studies, radiation, operate and administer intravenous chemotherapy. “

According to Leal da Costa, “these delays are already unacceptable” and “we have an acute shortage of staff. There are beds and treatment stations that do not work due to a lack of nurses. There are many nurses, doctors and technical staff, both specialized and non-specialized, that we lack. ”

The drama of the Lisbon IPO

Two weeks before Fernando Leal da Costa’s public complaints, a patient at an IPO in Lisbon, Portuguese DJ Magazino, had already reported a critical situation. In an interview published October 13 in the Observador, Magazino said: “There are two chemotherapy rooms, one of which is closed due to a lack of nurses. There were a few nurses who said goodbye, not all nurses are qualified to administer chemotherapy, and there are many patients whose treatment has been delayed – it cannot be delayed – because there are no nurses to administer chemotherapy. ”

Describing the situation as the moment of the “big IPO crisis,” Magazino said: “Today I was able to witness this. There is a large room where we will be treated, it is closed because there are no nurses for chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the IPO is not the hospital that pays the most and there are many nurses who, despite the fact that they really enjoy working in the IPO, because they know that this is the reason, because they work in a social hospital. .. if they get a better job offer, they will go elsewhere. ” And he added, “Both my doctor and the nurses I spoke with today told me that this is indeed the most critical time they remember from the IPO.”

Magazino: “I won’t give up. Today I looked at this bag and thought: this time this “chemotherapy” will save me “