“The absurdity, with almost Kafkaesque contours, arises when, in the face of this tragedy, those who, amid chaos and particularly adverse conditions, sought to fulfill their professional and ethical duty are held accountable. A doctor and an emergency technician, who accepted to be on duty on that tumultuous day, are unexpectedly pointed out as guilty, turned into true scapegoats in a shocking inversion of reality,” writes Carlos Cortes in a Facebook post today.
The statement refers to the conclusions of the Health Activities General Inspection (IGAS) report regarding the delay in aid to a 53-year-old patient from Pombal, who died on November 4 of last year, with findings revealed this Wednesday.
In a note that day, the Ministry of Health, referring to the IGAS conclusions, stated that “the potential delay in the arrival of support from INEM, contrary to what some have suggested, is not attributed to a strike at INEM, nor a delay in call reception by CODU [Urgent Patients Guidance Center].”
Citing the version of the IGAS report sent to them, the Ministry adds that “the causes of the delay are others,” related to the alleged “lack of zeal, care, and diligence” of two professionals involved in the relief process.
The report mentions that these professionals “did not act according to the best practices of medical emergencies” and were expected “to have a quicker and more expedient attitude, specifically in triage and dispatching means,” it adds.
According to the president “it is deeply revolting and dishonest that, in a country where the real culprits are often spared from criticism and consequences, it is workers, those facing real daily difficulties, who are sacrificed on the altar of the moment’s convenience.”
Carlos Cortes further explains it is “imperative and urgent to put an end to this perverse logic. Public institutions have the duty to be accountable with transparency and seriousness. Real perpetrators of failures should be identified and held accountable, not those who, despite adversities, fulfilled the mission of saving lives, reaching patients.”
This incident traces back to November 4, 2024, a day coinciding with two simultaneous strikes – one by pre-hospital emergency technicians for overtime and another in public administration.
According to the president, this was a strike “widely announced, predictable, and of general knowledge. Except, it seems, to the authorities responsible for ensuring the basic and minimum functioning of the national emergency medical system.”
Cortes recalled that there were “thousands of unanswered calls, chaos ensued, widespread anxiety, severely compromised aid, and amid this dramatic scenario, one known fatality in Pombal.”
More than half of the 7,326 calls made to INEM on November 4, 2024, the day of the technicians’ strike that had the greatest impact on the institute’s activity, were abandoned, according to an inspection.
Lusa | 17:28 – 25/06/2025
More than half of the 7,326 calls made to INEM on November 4, 2024, the day of the technicians’ strike that had the greatest impact on the institute’s activity, were abandoned, according to an inspection by IGAS.
