The president of Chega Madeira, Hugo Nunes, has warned of a "great shortage" of specialized technicians for supporting individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in the region.
During a visit to the 'Os Grandes Azuis' Association, Nunes addressed the "operational bottleneck" institutions face in hiring and retaining qualified professionals. While acknowledging existing public support, such as agreements with Social Security and responses from the public education network, the Chega Madeira leader believes current funds "only cover basic operating costs," failing to resolve the scarcity of highly trained human resources.
To mitigate this issue, Chega proposes the creation of a "Regional Technical Retention Supplement" for social institutions in the disability sector, aiming to increase salaries for therapists and psychologists. They also suggest a postgraduate training plan in autism in partnership with the University of Madeira and professional bodies, technician mobility schemes between SESARAM, schools, and IPSS, and a transition to four-year multi-year program contracts to provide greater financial and legal stability to institutions.
