Portuguese nurses start 6-day strike

Portuguese nurses started a six-day strike nationwide on Wednesday with most of surgeries in hospitals cancelled.

The strike took place exclusively in hospitals on Wednesday but it will expand to all public health institutions that have nurses in service on Thursday, according to the Portuguese Nurses' Union (SEP) .

Most surgeries scheduled have been cancelled in hospitals except for urgent surgeries. The nurses demand the government present a new negotiation proposal of the career of nursing that meets the expectations of the professionals and the commitments assumed by the guardianship.

In the district of Coimbra, the operating blocks of the Daniel de Matos Maternity Hospital and the Figueira da Foz District Hospital registered a 100 percent adhesion to the strike, Paulo Anacleto from the regional section of SEP told Portuguese Lusa News Agency.

"Urgent situations are always guaranteed, but the scheduled surgeries are not done," he said, adding that "in the central operating block of the Hospital of University of Coimbra, in the morning, there were 18 surgeries cancelled."

The strike is scheduled to take place again on Oct. 16-19 and the nurses will stage a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Health in Lisbon to demand the government fulfilment of the commitments made during the 2017 negotiation process.