UEMO President Tiago Villanueva Highlights Need to Strengthen Family Medicine at APAH Conference

UEMO President Dr. Tiago Villanueva participated in the session “Human Resources in Primary Health Care: From Challenges to Solutions” at the Conference of the Portuguese Association of Hospital Managers (APAH), held on 16 May in Covilhã, Portugal.

During the discussion, Dr. Villanueva emphasized the key role of family physicians in ensuring accessible, people-centred, and sustainable healthcare systems. He highlighted the importance of raising the profile of family medicine and called for greater investment in “positive” policies to improve recruitment and retention in primary care.

Among the priorities identified were better working conditions, reduced administrative burden, professional development opportunities, and measures supporting work-life balance. Dr. Villanueva stressed that investing in family medicine is essential to strengthening healthcare systems and responding to growing workforce challenges across Europe.

The APAH Conference brought together healthcare leaders, managers, and policymakers to discuss the future of healthcare and solutions to current workforce shortages in primary care.