Portugal to reward emergency locum doctors with new weekend shift bonuses
Portugal’s government is preparing to introduce a new bonus system for locum doctors working emergency shifts in the public health sector. The Cabinet will soon approve a decree that outlines extra pay for those covering weekend and extended shifts. Negotiations with medical unions over the exact percentage are still ongoing.
The bonus will apply to emergency shift work, calculated in 48-hour blocks as a percentage of a doctor’s base salary. If a physician works at least 48 hours over a weekend and agrees to an extra shift, the bonus per block rises by 20%.
Doctors qualify for the payment either by completing the additional hours or by being available but not called in due to low demand or service limitations. The scheme does not replace existing supplementary work hours already allowed by law. Full-time physicians can work up to 250 extra hours annually, while others are capped at 150. Clinical directors and emergency department heads will monitor any work exceeding these legal limits to maintain staff and patient safety. The bonus itself does not count as part of base pay and will not influence other supplementary earnings. Unlike some temporary incentives, this bonus has no fixed end date. However, doctors must first use up their allocated supplementary hours before becoming eligible for the extra payment.
The decree aims to provide clearer financial incentives for locum doctors handling emergency shifts, particularly on weekends. Once approved, it will formalise the bonus structure while ensuring compliance with existing work-hour regulations. The final percentage rate remains the only outstanding detail before implementation.
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