The Portuguese government will now swiftly recognize medical degrees obtained from foreign educational institutions, aiming to bolster its National Health Service with additional medical professionals.
The Portuguese government will now swiftly recognize medical degrees obtained from foreign educational institutions, aiming to bolster its National Health Service with additional medical professionals.
The Portuguese government has announced the acceleration of the recognition process for medical degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions.
Under the new regulations, Portugal will automatically recognize medical degrees that have already received approval from an EU member state, the Schengen Visa reported. This means that if an EU country has accepted a foreign medical degree, Portugal will extend automatic recognition, eliminating the need for additional procedural requirements. The Portuguese government officially announced this change, effective from Oct. 11.
The decision reflects Portugal’s commitment to addressing the pressing need for healthcare professionals while recognizing the importance of amending existing legislation.
Embracing foreign health professionals
The government emphasized the necessity of embracing foreign health professionals, whether their qualifications were acquired through Portuguese educational institutions or abroad.
“It is important to expand the conditions under which it is possible to proceed with the automatic recognition of academic degrees as well as specific recognition, especially when this is relevant for recruiting doctorates by institutions of the national scientific and technological system,” the government said.
Portugal has taken a series of measures in recent years to streamline the recognition process, primarily focusing on degrees related to science, technology, and health.
However, this latest development expands the scope to include medical degrees awarded by foreign institutions, focusing on European Union member states.
EU efforts
Portugal’s approach aligns with similar measures taken by various EU countries, all designed to ease the entry of foreign healthcare workers into their respective healthcare systems.
Spain, for instance, has recently allowed non-EU doctors to work without the need for Spanish nationality, a move aimed at attracting a more diverse range of medical professionals to fill critical shortages, particularly in fields such as pediatrics and family medicine.
