Association of Emergency Medical Technicians cites “sucessive failures”
ANTEM, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians today called for the resignation of the INEM (medical emergency institute) board of directors and the setting up of a parliamentary commission of inquiry to address “successive failures” of the Integrated Emergency Medical System (SIEM).
In a statement, ANTEM said that the INEM’s board of directors, chaired by Luís Meira, “has for a long time been unable to lead the destiny of this public institute, (unable to) safeguarde its mission but, above all, safeguard the health and lives of the Portuguese people”.
The association representing paramedics, INEM’s board of directors should resign “with immediate effect”, to allow the Ministry of Health to rebuild the institute.
“The successive failures of SIEM have marked our days, failures that represent a threat to the health and lives of the Portuguese. It is all too obvious what state this public service has reached, a service that is essential to the democratic rule of law, to the health and lives of the Portuguese,” the association emphasises.
This is not the first time ANTEM has raised its voice against INEM’s capacity for doing its job. In 2022, it warned of medical emergency response being “in crisis” – setting up an email address for dissatisfied citizens to register their complaints – and in 2023, in conjunction with firefighters it equally called for a parliamentary commission of inquiry, referring to “lives being at stake”.
This time round – now with a new government – ANTEM points out that the situation was recently broached by INEM president Luís Meira at a parliamentary hearing of the Health Committee on June 4.
On that day, the president of INEM admitted that the degradation of the public emergency health service “is undeniable”, defending the need for a budgetary reinforcement. He told the committee that funds for INEM represent only 1% of health spending.
Luís Meira also guaranteed that he is not “clinging to his position” and that should the Minister of Health decide to sack him, he will vacate his post “without any problem”.
The following day, on June 5, also at a parliamentary hearing, the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, said that she was considering changes to the leadership of INEM and considered it essential to reconstitute the organisation.
“If there’s anything that needs to be re-founded, it’s INEM”, she said. “It is an absolutely fundamental dimension in health response capacity”.
Ana Paula Martins also said that she has already met several times with the Luís Meira, stressing that the possibility of management changes “is not against anyone, but in favour of INEM”.
In ANTEM’s view, “Portugal and the Portuguese deserve, and can have, a real emergency medical service”.
The association called for a parliamentary commission of inquiry to be set up “so that the proper responsibilities can be fully investigated” regarding the failings of SIEM – a system that includes a group of entities that cooperate to provide assistance to victims of accidents or sudden illness, namely the PSP, the GNR, the fire brigade, the Portuguese Red Cross, INEM and hospitals and health centres.
Source material: LUSA
