The Fénix – ANBAPC association stated that “a potential reform of the Medical Emergency System requires a structured, sustainable, and comprehensive process, far beyond isolated proposals whose interpretation can be easily distorted, leading to gross errors.”
The proposals from the CTI for the restructuring of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) have raised concerns, as reported by Público. These proposals include the creation of a single central dispatch merging CODU and SNS24, and opening non-emergency patient transport to the private sector.
Representing firefighters and civil protection agents, Fénix – ANBAPC expressed “deep concern over the content and implications of the document” from CTI to INEM, noting that the association has, “deliberately,” chosen not to submit contributions.
“To the association’s knowledge, no country has implemented fundamental changes in a system of this nature through a similar method. On the contrary, effective international models based on solid and recognized doctrines are known,” the ANBAPC stated, without specifying which model it supports for the restructuring of INEM.
Based on media reports, the association of firefighters and civil protection agents commented that “the absence of a foundational philosophy aligned with the Emergency Medical Service in the CTI report is not surprising.”
“This absence leads to strategic and technical errors, reflecting an approach that attempts to ‘reinvent the wheel,’ even though it is already well-defined and consolidated internationally,” stated Fénix – ANBAPC, without commenting on specific proposals.
In this context, the Fénix association will formally request access to the CTI report from the Ministry of Health, along with all supporting documentation used in its preparation, to enable a rigorous and substantiated analysis.
The proposal to restructure INEM, already submitted to the Ministry of Health, argues that emergency calls made to 112 and the SNS24 Health Line (808242424) should be answered at the same dispatch center.
In statements to Público, CTI President Leonor Furtado explained that creating this single central aims to achieve “efficiency and safety gains,” as the response “becomes faster and more immediate,” due to the physical proximity of the different human resources responsible for medical assistance.
In response, the INEM Workers’ Commission contested the statements made by the Independent Technical Commission (CTI) for the restructuring of this public body, arguing that they “do not reflect reality,” even with already implemented proposals.
“We do not understand nor accept that the CTI completely ignored INEM professionals, disregarding their representative structures that hold irreplaceable technical and operational knowledge. Such omission reveals a lack of institutional respect and weakens the legitimacy of the presented conclusions,” the Workers’ Commission stated in a communiqué.
