The conclusion of the IGAS inquiry into the November 4, 2024 incident, when a strike by National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) technicians delayed emergency responses, states that “it is not possible to establish a causal link between the delay in responding to the emergency call by the CODU [Urgent Patient Orientation Center] and the fatal outcome.”
IGAS concluded that “the 112 line was contacted only 21 minutes after the victim was found unconscious and not breathing.”
“The medical assessment indicated that in cases of cardiorespiratory arrest, resuscitation maneuvers should be initiated immediately, and after ten minutes without such intervention, recovery is practically impossible,” the IGAS statement released today further notes.
IGAS reports that the conclusions related to this case have been forwarded to the INEM board, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Coimbra, where an investigation is ongoing, and the Health Minister’s office for their information.
On November 4, 2024, two strikes coincided, exacerbating the delays in INEM’s response: the overtime strike by Pre-Hospital Emergency Technicians (TEPH) and the Public Function strike.
A previous IGAS report revealed that on this day, more than half of calls to INEM were abandoned, with only 2,510 out of 7,326 calls answered.
Beyond the report on the impact of the strikes on the CODU’s response capacity, IGAS has isolated reports concerning 12 deaths.
This is the ninth case concluded, with two of them having deaths associated with delays in assistance.
