Sanitas: hospitals urgently need 20,000 employees, but posts remain frozen

The Sanitas Federation has sent a request to the interim Minister of Health calling for the urgent unblocking of recruitment in public hospitals. The trade union warns that, without an additional 20,000 professionals, medical facilities are barely managing to operate "in emergency mode".

According to federation representatives, thousands of doctors, nurses, auxiliary nurses, carers, porters, and medical registrars are waiting to be hired, whilst posts remain frozen despite a memorandum approved by the Government that would allow them to be unblocked. Sanitas describes the situation as "dramatic", stating that these individuals are being kept "at the gate" despite an acute need for staff.

Staff pushed to their limits

Trade union members contend that hospital employees are working under increasingly difficult conditions: many are unable to take leave, have no stable schedule, and receive no proper breaks during their shifts. The federation warns that medical and auxiliary staff are edging ever closer to burnout, and that this shortfall is being felt directly both in the running of hospitals and in patient safety.

"More than 20,000 professionals from these categories are urgently needed for hospitals to function even in emergency mode. Furthermore, 2,000 specialist doctors are ready to enter the system, take on on-call duties, open emergency lines, reduce waiting times, and ensure patient safety," reads the federation's message, published on Facebook.

Sanitas notes that all recruitment requests have already been centralised at the Ministry of Health, and is publicly calling on the interim Minister to immediately initiate the procedure for unblocking the posts.

"Without people, there is no care"

The trade union emphasises that the issue can no longer be deferred, as the staff shortage is affecting the entirety of hospital operations.

"Without people, there is no care. Without care, there is no safety. Without safety, there is no healthcare system. We demand that the law be upheld and that recruitment be unblocked urgently," the Sanitas Federation further states.