The Union of Pre-Hospital Emergency Technicians (STEPH) issued a warning today regarding the resources provided by the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) to firefighters in the district of Bragança, stating that they are “woefully insufficient.”
“They are woefully insufficient. As we move away from major cities, especially in the interior regions — and Bragança is one of the most affected — what INEM invests and supports is one ambulance per municipality, which is inadequate,” said the president of the union, Rui Lázaro, in an interview.
In response, INEM confirmed that an agreement signed on February 28 with the LBP “will significantly increase the subsidies given to Fire Brigade Bodies to ensure the sustainability of the service.”
The subsidy paid by INEM to fire departments will be increased by 2,000 euros per month, from 6,690 euros to 8,690 euros.
“At the same time, this agreement will promote a greater and better national coverage of the medical emergency network, with a particular focus on the interior regions of the country, increasing both the number and availability of resources to be deployed by INEM’s Urgent Patient Guidance Centers (CODU)”, stated INEM in a written note.
Bragança has 12 municipalities and 15 fire departments. Three of them — Torre de Dona Chama (Mirandela), Sendim (Miranda do Douro), and Izeda (Bragança) — are reserve stations rather than Emergency Medical Posts (PEM) established through agreements with INEM.
At reserve stations, the service is still awarded by INEM, but the ambulance and crew used in case of activation are the responsibility of the firefighters.
The identification of new PEMs to be opened “will result from a joint study conducted by INEM and LBP, as outlined in the agreement.”
INEM also mentioned that together with the LBP, they will “continuously monitor the effectiveness and quality of pre-hospital emergency services” under this new protocol and promised to adapt the system “whenever necessary to better meet citizens’ needs.”
Currently, INEM operates 448 PEMs across the country, run by members of the fire service and the Portuguese Red Cross, established through collaboration protocols.
Of the 448 PEMs, “426 operate outside the municipalities of Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Braga, Aveiro, and Faro,” according to INEM data.
In the district of Bragança, there are 13 PEMs, with 2 in the municipality of Bragança and one in each of the other municipalities in the district.
“In addition to the PEMs and INEM’s own resources, there are still 102 INEM Reserve Ambulances across the country, three of which are in the district of Bragança,” INEM reported.
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