Dialysis patients unable to holiday in Algarve and Alentejo due to nurse shortages – Portugal Resident

Kidney disease patients who depend on regular dialysis are being prevented from spending their summer holidays in the Algarve and Alentejo because clinics do not have enough specialist nurses to accommodate visiting patients.

The Portuguese Association of Renal Patients (APIR) says the shortage of healthcare professionals has left many dialysis centres unable to offer temporary treatment slots, forcing some patients to abandon holiday plans altogether.

APIR president Paulo Urbano said he knows the problem first-hand.

“I’ve been on dialysis for three years and three months, and I still haven’t managed to go on holiday to the Algarve since I started treatment,” he told TSF.

Initially, the association believed the problem was a shortage of available places at dialysis clinics. However, after discussions with the National Association of Dialysis Centres (ANADIAL), it concluded that the real issue is a lack of qualified nursing staff.

“They told us the problem isn’t a shortage of beds but a shortage of nurses. It’s a structural problem, and that’s even more worrying,” Urbano said.

For people receiving haemodialysis, travelling is particularly challenging. Treatment typically lasts around four hours, three times a week, making it essential to arrange sessions at clinics near their holiday destination well in advance, TSF points out.

According to APIR, it is receiving an increasing number of requests for help from patients unable to secure treatment in the Algarve or Alentejo during the busy summer months.

“It’s now easier to arrange dialysis treatment elsewhere in Europe than it is in Portugal,” Urbano said.

The association argues that the situation further limits the freedom of people whose lives are already heavily shaped by their medical condition.

After the summer, APIR plans to meet with the Minister of Health to discuss long-term solutions aimed at preventing the same difficulties from recurring every holiday season.

Funding pressures behind staffing shortages

ANADIAL agrees that staffing shortages are affecting dialysis centres, not only in the Algarve and Alentejo but across Portugal.

The organisation says it has repeatedly warned the Ministry of Health about difficulties recruiting specialist staff, despite ongoing efforts to hire more nurses.

It argues that the problem has been compounded by funding, noting that the amount paid by the State for haemodialysis treatments has remained largely unchanged for almost 18 years, while clinics have faced increasing financial pressures.

ANADIAL secretary-general António Borges Neves said dialysis centres must comply with strict legal and quality standards, including a maximum ratio of one nurse for every five patients.

He also stressed that dialysis nurses require specialist training, with at least 420 hours of practical experience before they are qualified to work in the field, making recruitment particularly difficult.