In 2024

Number of nurses per thousand inhabitants in the Region remained above the national average, in contrast to the situation observed for doctors

In 2024, there were 1,420 medical doctors registered in the Guild, representing an increase of 45 (+3.3%) compared to the previous year (1,375), with 59.3% (842) being women. Based on the declared place of residence, 69.9% (992) of the medical doctors resided in Funchal, 13.3% (189) in Santa Cruz, and 5.4% (76) in Câmara de Lobos.

By age group, 26.5% were under the age of 31 years old, while 17.0% were over 65 years old.

In the year under analysis, of the total number of medical doctors in 2024, 854 were specialists (60.1%), with a higher proportion of specialists among men (66.6%; 385 doctors) compared to women (55.7%; 469 doctors). There were 235 doctors specialised in General and Family Medicine (27.5% of all specialists), 92 in Internal Medicine (10.8%), 54 in General Surgery (6.3%), 48 in Pediatrics (5.6%) and 45 in Anesthesiology (5.3%).

According to the post-census provisional estimates of the Resident Population for 2024, there were, on average, 5.5 medical doctors per thousand inhabitants in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (compared to 5.4‰ in 2023), verifying the greatest expression of this indicator in Funchal (9.2 medical doctors per thousand inhabitants) and the lowest in the municipality of Calheta (1.4 medical doctors per thousand inhabitants). At a national level, the ratio was 6.0 doctors per thousand inhabitants.

The number of dentists residing in the Region and registered in the professional order stood at 247, representing an increase of 4.7% compared to 2023 (236). On average, there were 1.0 dentists per thousand inhabitants in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (0.9 in 2023). Nationally, the ratio was 1.2 doctors per thousand inhabitants.

The number of nurses registered with their respective order and working in the Region, in 2024, was 2,730, having increased by 3.1% in 2024 compared to 2023 (+ 83 nurses). On average, there were 10.5 nurses per thousand inhabitants in the Region, a figure higher than both the 2023 value (10.3‰) and the national average (8.0‰). By municipality of workplace, the highest ratios were recorded in Machico (12.8‰), Santa Cruz (12.6‰), and Funchal (12.4‰).

Considering the workplace, 286 pharmacists were registered with the Order of Pharmacists (12 more than in 2023), and among them, 196 were community pharmacists, corresponding to a ratio of 11.0 pharmacists per ten thousand inhabitants (10.7 in 2023). At a national level, the ratio was 15.9 pharmacists per ten thousand inhabitants.

The data now released form an integral part of the publication "Health Statistics of the Autonomous Region of Madeira 2024," the complete edition of which will be published in the first quarter of 2026.

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