Over recent months the society assessed the capacity of public hospitals and concluded that 51.8% of Portugal does not have access to a rheumatology specialist because of a shortfall in the hospital network coverage.
The head of the society, Luís Cunha Miranda, stressed that there are only five hospitals in the national health service with a full range of specialists: Santa Maria, West Lisbon hospital centre, Garcia de Orta hospital, Ponte de Lima hospital and São João Hospital, in Porto.
Over 40% of public hospitals do not have a single specialist in rheumatology. This means that 5 million people, half of which have a rheumatic disease, do not have access to a specialist in the national health service.
According to the society, public hospitals lack at least 80 specialists to cover the needs of the population.
Miranda noted that 56% of the Portuguese population have rheumatic complaints, and it is estimated that 35% of patients do not know they have a rheumatic disease.
He also added that rheumatic diseases have a huge social and economic impact. In terms of early retirement, rheumatic diseases cost the state more than €900 million per year, which means 0.5% of the country's GDP.
Absenteeism caused by rheumatic diseases results in losses of about €200 million per year.
My first time in Portugal in 2016,,i was stunned at the percentage of its people struggling with obvious joint pain ,thinking how come in the Algarve with its warm climate this is happening ? Well shortage of rheumatic specialists answers some of the problems ,,I could be wrong here ,I wonder if these have undiagnosed. Lyme disease ,it wouldn't be surprised as that same year I came back to Ireland with 19 bites from various little flying insects .it didn't happen me this year in Algarve ,as I reluctantly sprayed myself with repellent ,deet.
By Sheila mc from Other on 14 Oct 2018, 13:33