The Regional Secretary for Health said today that the Government has the possibility of hiring more nurses to the Regional Health Service to reduce overtime work.

These statements were made by the government official following an audience granted by the President of the Government to the Board of the Nurses' Association. This meeting was also attended by Miguel Correia.

Given the issues raised at the meeting, the Secretary for Health admitted "the possibility of hiring more nurses and identifying, rigorously, the health units where overtime nursing work is rendered that might be reduced by the hiring of more nurses."
"This been done at hospitals in the past and we want to continue to do this at health centres and island health units as long it does not represent an increase of costs."

Miguel Correia requested the collaboration of the Nurses' Association of in order to identify all health units where overtime nursing works is being rendered and make the hiring of more nurses viable.

The meeting also emphasised the role played by "Estagiar L" (traineeship) programme as a link to the labour world, which has led to a stable labour relation for many of these nurses.

"These mechanisms have allowed reducing the impact of the national situation in the Region," stated Miguel Correia.