The National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) aims to decentralize the Urgent Patient Guidance Center (CODU) service to enhance recruitment by bringing professionals closer to their residences, announced its president today.
Sérgio Dias Janeiro stated that INEM intends to create conditions for deploying decentralized service points, “either through provisions for teleworking or by utilizing operational bases,” to complement the centralized CODU operations in Porto, Coimbra, Lisbon, and Loulé.
This intention was revealed by the president during the signing ceremony of a loan agreement with the Leiria City Council for establishing an operational base for the emergency medical ambulance at the former health center in Parceiros.
These ‘mini-CODU’ units may consist of “two or three operatives performing work without the need to commute, particularly to Coimbra.”
The service points will be integrated into the National Emergency Medical System. “CODU operates on a national level. Every time a call is forwarded from PSP’s 112 center to CODU, the pre-hospital emergency technician who answers could be anywhere in the country,” he clarified.
The primary benefit for INEM would be aligning professionals with their local residence areas. “By demonstrating a clear intention to create conditions for professionals to work as close to home as possible, we naturally increase recruitment success,” he explained.
For existing INEM employees, this initiative could reduce home-to-work and work-to-home commute times.
Sérgio Dias Janeiro did not specify a timeline for the project but emphasized that the goal is to proceed “as quickly as possible, considering all public procurement constraints, whether for personnel or equipment.”
He also highlighted the importance of “well-managed budgetary issues.”
“I cannot, at this stage, commit to a date, but I assure you I am very impatient and eager to see things happen,” he promised.
The operational base for the emergency medical ambulance, temporarily housed at the Leiria Firefighters Headquarters, will move to the former health center in Parceiros.
Gonçalo Lopes, the Mayor of Leiria, described the use of a vacant building for this INEM post as a beneficial move, providing facilities that allow quick dispatch and comfort for the staff to perform their duties.
He also emphasized the “excellent location to achieve INEM’s mission of delivering rapid life-saving responses.”
In a written response in April, the Institute mentioned that by October 2023, “INEM’s emergency medical ambulance in Leiria transferred its operational base to the Firefighters Headquarters, as the hospital base no longer met the necessary conditions for this team, currently composed of eight pre-hospital emergency technicians.”
“This INEM operational base will now transition to the former Parceiros health center under a partnership between INEM and Leiria City Council to provide all necessary working conditions for this team,” clarified INEM.
This relocation will offer “quicker access to roads connecting various zones within its emergency service area.”
