“It was concluded that it is not possible to establish a causal link between the delay in answering the emergency call by CODU and the fatal outcome. The medical examination noted that in cardiac arrest cases among patients over ninety years old, the survival rate is low, and the outcome would likely be similar, even under optimized conditions”, reads the conclusions of the IGAS report released today.
The press release states that, as in previous cases, the report on the inquiry into this death, which occurred during the INEM emergency technicians’ strike that coincided with a public service shutdown, was sent to the Board of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Coimbra, where a judicial inquiry into the case is underway, and the office of the Minister of Health.
On November 4, 2024, two strikes coincided, exacerbating delays in INEM’s response: the emergency service technicians’ overtime strike (TEPH) and the public service shutdown.
A previous IGAS report revealed that on that day, more than half of the calls to INEM were abandoned, with only 2,510 of the 7,326 calls answered.
The Health Activities General Inspectorate (IGAS) found no causal link between the delay in emergency call response and the death of a man in Pombal municipality in November 2024.
Lusa | 10:23 – 06/08/2025
In addition to the report regarding the strike impacts on the responsiveness of the Emergency Patient Guidance Centers (CODU), IGAS isolated reports concerning 12 deaths.
This is the tenth case already concluded, and in two of these, deaths were associated with the delay in emergency response.
