Algarve to get 10,000 new family doctors

Loulé, Portugal – The Algarve Local Health Unit (ULS) is moving forward with a bold healthcare expansion plan that will see thousands more residents of Loulé gain access to dedicated family doctors by the end of 2025. As NewsJoys has learned, the strategy includes the establishment of a new Family Health Unit (USF) and the reallocation of medical resources to under-served areas within the municipality.

Tiago Botelho, president of ULS Algarve, made the announcement during the official opening of the Loulé University Health Center. In his speech, Botelho stated that “organisational adjustments being implemented by the ULS will make it possible for around 10,000 additional people in the municipality to be assigned a family doctor by year’s end.”

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This initiative is a significant response to long-standing gaps in primary healthcare access throughout the region. According to the latest figures, an estimated 12,000 individuals residing in Loulé’s northern areas are currently without a designated family doctor. Additionally, in the southern areas such as Almancil and Boliqueime, the number of unserved patients reaches approximately 8,000.

In a bid to remedy this, the ULS has already taken steps to deploy new doctors to high-need zones. Almancil, in particular, is receiving attention. Botelho disclosed that a physician has been allocated to the Personalized Health Care Unit there through a program designed to fill vacancies in medically deprived areas. This move alone is expected to bring medical coverage to nearly 1,900 patients.

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Further strengthening the healthcare framework in the region, the ULS is also launching the USF Mãe Soberana, a new Family Health Unit aimed at closing the gap in doctor-to-patient ratios across the municipality. While the unit’s permanent site is still under development, operations are expected to begin shortly in temporary facilities located near the new health center in Loulé.

“The USF Mãe Soberana will soon commence services with more doctors than we currently have operating in the area,” Botelho noted. “This expansion will allow us to resolve the deficit in family doctor coverage within the municipality.”

Eventually, the USF Mãe Soberana will relocate to a purpose-built facility in the upcoming Loulé Health Park. This long-term infrastructure investment underscores the region’s commitment to quality public health services and universal coverage.

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With over 8,000 users projected to benefit from the new unit, the development represents a significant stride in bridging healthcare inequalities and ensuring that no resident of Loulé is left behind in accessing consistent, personalized medical care. As Portugal continues its post-pandemic recovery, initiatives like this stand out as models of proactive, people-first public health strategy.

For more updates on healthcare and public service developments across Europe, stay with NewsJoys.

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