The Minister of Health will visit INEM this Tuesday, six days after implementing contingency measures aimed at reducing response delays for the public. Ana Paula Martins is also expected to provide explanations on this matter in Parliament.
She is scheduled to visit the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) headquarters in Lisbon at 3:30 p.m. However, earlier in the day, the minister will appear before the Assembly of the Republic to discuss the 2025 State Budget proposal.
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While the joint hearing with the Health and Budget, Finance, and Public Administration committees is primarily focused on the 2025 budget proposal, Ana Paula Martins will also address concerns about delays on the 112 emergency line and in the activation of emergency services.
Political Pressure Following INEM Failures
Following reports linking at least ten deaths to alleged failures in INEM’s response, multiple investigations have been launched. Several opposition parties have directly called for the resignation of the Minister of Health, while others have urged the Prime Minister to evaluate whether Ana Paula Martins is fit to continue in her role.
In his response, Luís Montenegro argued that INEM’s challenges cannot simply be addressed by the resignation of Ana Paula Martins. Instead, he emphasized that the political focus should be on effectively resolving the institute’s underlying issues.
Calls for Accountability in the Integrated Medical Emergency System
The PS bench has called for an urgent hearing with Sérgio Janeiro, the president of the institute overseeing the Integrated Medical Emergency System (SIEM), before the Health Committee. They argue that this meeting is essential to “determine responsibility for the system’s collapse,” with the request scheduled for a vote this afternoon.
The shortage of resources at INEM, particularly pre-hospital emergency technicians (TEPH), has been a persistent issue in recent years.
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However, it became glaringly apparent on November 4, when 46 emergency services were halted during the morning shift and 44 more in the afternoon. Additionally, there were significant delays in responding to calls at the Urgent Patient Guidance Center (CODU).
This disruption stemmed from the public service strike on that day, compounded by a strike by TEPH against overtime work. However, the TEPH strike was called off after an emergency meeting held Thursday between the Ministry of Health and the union.
Contingency Measures to Address Delays
The day before the TEPH strike was suspended, INEM’s board of directors had to implement various contingency measures to enhance the functioning of its Urgent Patient Guidance Centers (CODUs).
These measures included creating a triage flow for calls with wait times exceeding three minutes, integrating nurses into the CODUs, and revising data transmission procedures for teams on the ground.
Over the weekend, the institute confirmed that the average wait time for services had improved to 20 seconds, a result attributed to the measures implemented in the previous week.
