FMUL News
Interview with Professor Fernandes e Fernandes for RCM Pharmagazine
The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (FMUL), Professor Fernandes e Fernandes, granted a long interview to the sixth issue of the RCM Pharmagazine (http://www.rcmpharma.com/), in which he dealt with such diverse issues as teaching medicine in Portugal, the vocation of the students who choose the medicine course, the Lisbon Academic Medical Centre, the creation of new medical schools and the shortage of doctors in Portugal, among other subjects.
In the opinion of the Dean of the FMUL, teaching of medicine in Portugal “is going through an absolutely necessary phase of transition and change.” Although he recognizes the existence of difficulties, he is convinced that “(…) medical training is adequate and the doctors working in Portuguese society are well prepared”. Professor Fernandes e Fernandes states that “there are indicators that confirm this opinion for us”, with two of them coming directly from his experience as the Dean of the FMUL. The first is the feedback he receives from the tutors of the sixth year students in the Integrated Masters Course at the FMUL, who work in several hospitals and health centres. He states that “(…) the information we receive from their tutors in these health institutions are that their preparation is generally good and their performance is very satisfactory”. The second indicator “(…) comes from the Erasmus programme, in which our students obtain classifications that are not different to those they obtained in Portugal. For these reasons I think that we are doing a good job in teaching medicine”.
When questioned about the way one assesses the vocation of the students who choose the medicine course in Portugal based only on the average application, Professor Fernandes e Fernandes states that “it is obvious that a doctor must have the capacity to study and must possess knowledge; that is, the cognitive component has to be of quality, but that alone is not enough. It is necessary, but not sufficient. Other qualities and capacities are needed, and I would like to highlight culture, which is fundamental to understand the human person, his individuality, his family and social dimension and the world in which he lives”. He also stresses that “the spirit of sacrifice and dedication, a capacity for altruism and abnegation are qualities that are indispensable in a good doctor, and all these characteristics that are not taken into account when one chooses students for medical schools”.
Throughout the interview Professor Fernandes e Fernandes also deals with the creation of new medical schools in Portugal, as well as the issue of the lack of doctors in the country. In relation to the first issue, he considers that “there is a deep political question: in the context of European integration we need quality medical schools that can rival with the best in Europe. And that needs a concentration of effort and a mobilization of resources”. As Portugal is not a very rich country, the Dean of the FMUL states that “we need to rationalize means and use them in a judicious manner”. When asked about the shortage of doctors in Portugal, he argues that “the lack of doctors is a false issue. In my opinion there is no shortage of doctors in Portugal, as the European indicators clearly show. What we have is a bad organisation of the Health Services and a bad distribution of the doctors”.
As stated above, another issue dealt with in the interview was the Lisbon Academic Medical Centre. The Dean of the FMUL stressed that this structure “is an innovating model in our reality here, inspired by the Dutch model of the Academic Medical Centers, which grouped together the academic and professional components within a single, unified organization, budget and management system. This is a new concept, which aims at bringing together the component institutions and their capacities for common aims, such as medical teaching and research, and thus making the most of their resources and increasing their efficiency so as to better serve our mission: to teach, research and provide care”.
Consult the full interview here.
In the opinion of the Dean of the FMUL, teaching of medicine in Portugal “is going through an absolutely necessary phase of transition and change.” Although he recognizes the existence of difficulties, he is convinced that “(…) medical training is adequate and the doctors working in Portuguese society are well prepared”. Professor Fernandes e Fernandes states that “there are indicators that confirm this opinion for us”, with two of them coming directly from his experience as the Dean of the FMUL. The first is the feedback he receives from the tutors of the sixth year students in the Integrated Masters Course at the FMUL, who work in several hospitals and health centres. He states that “(…) the information we receive from their tutors in these health institutions are that their preparation is generally good and their performance is very satisfactory”. The second indicator “(…) comes from the Erasmus programme, in which our students obtain classifications that are not different to those they obtained in Portugal. For these reasons I think that we are doing a good job in teaching medicine”.
When questioned about the way one assesses the vocation of the students who choose the medicine course in Portugal based only on the average application, Professor Fernandes e Fernandes states that “it is obvious that a doctor must have the capacity to study and must possess knowledge; that is, the cognitive component has to be of quality, but that alone is not enough. It is necessary, but not sufficient. Other qualities and capacities are needed, and I would like to highlight culture, which is fundamental to understand the human person, his individuality, his family and social dimension and the world in which he lives”. He also stresses that “the spirit of sacrifice and dedication, a capacity for altruism and abnegation are qualities that are indispensable in a good doctor, and all these characteristics that are not taken into account when one chooses students for medical schools”.
Throughout the interview Professor Fernandes e Fernandes also deals with the creation of new medical schools in Portugal, as well as the issue of the lack of doctors in the country. In relation to the first issue, he considers that “there is a deep political question: in the context of European integration we need quality medical schools that can rival with the best in Europe. And that needs a concentration of effort and a mobilization of resources”. As Portugal is not a very rich country, the Dean of the FMUL states that “we need to rationalize means and use them in a judicious manner”. When asked about the shortage of doctors in Portugal, he argues that “the lack of doctors is a false issue. In my opinion there is no shortage of doctors in Portugal, as the European indicators clearly show. What we have is a bad organisation of the Health Services and a bad distribution of the doctors”.
As stated above, another issue dealt with in the interview was the Lisbon Academic Medical Centre. The Dean of the FMUL stressed that this structure “is an innovating model in our reality here, inspired by the Dutch model of the Academic Medical Centers, which grouped together the academic and professional components within a single, unified organization, budget and management system. This is a new concept, which aims at bringing together the component institutions and their capacities for common aims, such as medical teaching and research, and thus making the most of their resources and increasing their efficiency so as to better serve our mission: to teach, research and provide care”.
Consult the full interview here.