A soldier of the National Republican Guard (GNR) passed away on Tuesday while the Medical Emergency and Resuscitation Vehicle (VMER) in Portalegre was non-operational.
The incident began around 9 a.m. when the man was found unconscious in the garage of his home in Castelo de Vide by his wife.
An emergency call was placed at 9:09 a.m., prompting the Urgent Patient Guidance Center (CODU) to dispatch local firefighters, who arrived at the scene within seven minutes.
Resuscitation efforts were undertaken, but the 47-year-old man was transported to Dr. José Maria Grande Hospital in Portalegre, with the journey from his home to the hospital taking 19 minutes. He was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Miguel Lopes, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alto Alentejo Local Health Unit (ULS), confirmed that the vehicle was “not operational at that time,” but noted that even if it had been, “there’s no guarantee that the outcome would have been different.”
The VMER was inoperative due to a “lack of medical personnel” from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to notifications sent to official entities, the Executive Directorate of the NHS, and CODU.
Notícias ao Minuto is attempting to contact INEM for clarification. However, the entity clarified to the news outlet that “more advanced medical emergency means were not available to intervene in a timely manner, making the transport to the hospital clinically more beneficial for the patient” to ensure quicker access to advanced life support care.
The challenges in ensuring the availability of doctors and nurses for VMER, which are the responsibility of the ULS, are not new, as Miguel Lopes explained. The difficulties are related to “employment issues,” including the availability of professionals for shifts as well as “vacations and maternity leaves.”
The most recent data from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of this ULS indicates that in “10% of the time, the VMER has not been available.”
On Facebook, the GNR of Portalegre expressed their condolences on Tuesday for the soldier’s death. “The Unit is poorer today. We have lost one of our own. The Territorial Command of Portalegre and the National Republican Guard express their condolences for the death of our comrade, Corporal Nuno Joaquim Lourenço Dias, aged 47,” the post reads.
