The Portuguese healthcare service is on its knees. Desperately needed help is now arriving from abroad. On Sunday, a nurse and a doctor from Luxembourg were flown to Portugal. They will be working in a hospital in Evora (150km East of Lisbon) to support their Portuguese co-workers, says Filomena Silva Costa, a nurse in Luxembourg.
They are expected to stay in Portugal for two weeks. Both say that they not only want to help out but also seize this opportunity to get to know other healthcare systems and their protocols.
Antonio Lacerda Sales, Portuguese secretary of state for health, said that it may just be an additional two pairs of hands, but their help will be much appreciated and will make a difference. The secretary of state said that both healthcare workers will allow the Portuguese authorities to rotate and relieve staff that have had to work under enormous pressure for the past month.
This weekend another two healthcare workers from Luxembourg are expected to fly to Portugal.
