200 INEM technicians are needed
The recruitment drive for 200 technicians at Portugal’s INEM emergency institute attracted unexpected interest, with 306 candidates successfully passing the selection process, reports Jornal de Notícias.
This surplus of candidates, a first in several years, will be utilised for the next recruitment cycle, scheduled for 2025. According to JN, which cites the official INEM list, more than half of the applications came from the Northern region. The Centre region followed with 77 candidates, Lisbon and Vale do Tejo had 68, and the Algarve had 30.
Candidates were allocated to their chosen regional delegation based on their final scores, which were determined by knowledge, physical, and driving tests.
The news comes just under a week after Portugal’s health minister announced the re-founding of INEM, which will involve making it a special regime public institute, strengthening the board of directors with more members and having representatives from the fire brigade and the Red Cross on the technical and scientific committee.
The government and the Union of Pre-Hospital Emergency Technicians (STEPH) of INEM have also reached an agreement for a pay increase of €256 for all emergency technicians starting from January 2025.
“Furthermore, from January 2026, under certain conditions, technicians with more seniority will be able to move up to higher categories, resulting in a €600 increase compared to their current pay,” explained STEPH president Rui Lázaro.
