More than half of oncology consultations are already being conducted outside the legal timeframe. According to the FNAM, the new legislation organises the transfer of patients to the private sector without strengthening the National Health Service (SNS).
Doctors oppose ordinance regulating waiting lists

Context & Explainers
The Ordem dos Médicos is Portugal’s professional medical association that registers doctors, enforces ethical rules and can discipline members. It issues formal opinions and can challenge health policies or laws, so its objections matter when a programme like the Waitlist Recovery Programme changes how patients are referred or treated.
FNAM is the National Federation of Doctors (Federação Nacional dos Médicos), a trade‑union and professional organisation that represents physicians across Portugal. It frequently engages in advocacy and legal actions — here it says it will ask the Ombudsman to request a constitutional review because it believes the regional emergency services statute harms doctors' work.









