In a note sent to the newsrooms, the president of the OM, Miguel Guimarães, says that the list of doctors to reinforce health care has been shared with the Ministry of Health and asks that the services be organized to allow more balance between periods of work and rest for doctors.

"It is urgent that these doctors, who promptly responded to this humanist and solidary appeal, have a response and that the services are also organized with their support, allowing for a better balance between periods of work and rest", he stresses.

In the note, the president recalls that he had written to doctors, asking, especially those who left the NHS or retired, to consider the possibility of working longer hours, or returning to collaborate “within the scope of their skills and knowledge or in direct support to covid-19”.

“We received more than 4,500 positive responses from doctors available to help our country in an international public health emergency. Doctors have always been with patients in very difficult times and would never fail to do so in the face of a pandemic that is presenting an immense challenge for all countries”, he says.

Miguel Guimarães thanks the doctors for their solidarity, stressing that “it is not easy to be on the ground in times of great uncertainty” and when you risk your own life, leaving families behind.

The president reinforces the urgency of all health professionals, and other professionals who are also at the forefront of combating covid-19, have access to appropriate protective equipment.

In the letter that he had sent to doctors, Miguel Guimarães recalled that the new coronavirus is an added pressure on an NHS, a “target of great divestment over the past few years”.

“Being a doctor means being at the forefront in difficult times and trying to favourably influence the direction of the serious problems that plague our population, with a spirit of solidarity and a great humanistic sense towards our society and, above all and always, towards our patients”, recalled the president.