Government approves diplomas on cybersecurity and centralization of hiring of assistant doctors
The Government approved two diplomas in the area of cybersecurity, which includes the proposal to transpose the NIS2 directive and the creation of a new legal regime for cybersecurity in Portugal, which will be subject to public consultation.
In the area of cybersecurity, “two diplomas were approved: the proposal to transpose the so-called directive [de segurança das redes e sistemas de informação] NIS2 and the creation of a new cybersecurity legal regime in Portugal”, said the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, at the press conference, this Thursday, 24.
“I believe that the last few weeks clearly demonstrate the importance of the vulnerability of Portuguese cyberspace systems, the existence of threats from various sources and the importance of strengthening and guaranteeing the security of Portuguese space, also in this case in cyberspace”, added António Leitão Amaro .
This legal regime approved today “will be a bill, but will be subject to public consultation”.
The official explained that “there will still be a meeting of the National Cyberspace Security Council and then it will be placed on the public consultation platform at the beginning of November.”
The public consultation “will take place throughout the month of November so that the proposed law can be sent to the Assembly of the Republic after work on the State Budget” for 2025, he said.
Hiring of assistant doctors becomes centralized at ACSS
Another of the measures approved by the Council of Ministers foresees that the recruitment of assistant doctors in general and family medicine will be centralized in the Central Administration of the Health System (ACSS). With this measure, the Government intends to “accelerate the attraction, selection and recruitment of doctors for careers in the National Health Service”, stated Leitão Amaro.
According to the Minister, the change to the recruitment of doctors in the assistant category – the first level of the career – in the areas of general and family medicine and public health will now be “simplified” and centralized in the ACSS, instead of being the responsibility of each of the Local Health Units (ULS).
“The NHS needs more doctors for general and family medicine and we, with this change and simplification measure, want to accelerate the recruitment of assistants in these areas to reinforce career placement”, claimed the government official.
Leitão Amaro also said that this is a change in “comparison with previous guidance” to the current Government, in which general and family medicine assistant doctors were recruited at ULS level, an “experience that went wrong in terms of speed”.
“The assessment that was made was that we needed an intervention to reduce bureaucracy and restore the recruitment process at ACSS”, said the Minister of the Presidency.
The Government also approved an increase in the remuneration supplement for public health delegates from 200 to 300 euros, retroactive to October 1st, and it is expected that on January 1st, 2025 it will rise again to 400 euros.
Overall, “the increase will be 200 euros”, said Leitão Amaro, for whom the two measures approved today are “important to strengthen the National Health Service for the future”.
