“We remain determined to transform the INEM [National Institute of Medical Emergency] and safeguard the future of medical emergency services in Portugal. This reform will require all determination and political courage,” stated Ana Paula Martins.
The minister addressed journalists at the conclusion of a Workshop on Pre-Hospital Medical Emergency Services Reflection by the INEM’s Independent Technical Committee (ITC), which lasted about six hours, at the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Lisbon (ISCSP-UL).
Ana Paula Martins emphasized that trust in medical emergencies is “a fundamental sovereignty asset.”
“It is an area of sovereignty because it saves lives, and we cannot, nor should we, mix political dimensions with the functions of the state, as it is ethically unacceptable. Therefore, we are all called upon to this ethical movement, which also means the Government will never accept any pressure, of any kind, to make a decision in any direction that is not based on the best evidence,” she stated.
The Health Minister also noted that the preliminary conclusions of the workshop “underline the importance of the organizational model,” “continuous training, and the integration of all rescue methods.”
The President of the ITC of INEM, retired counselor judge Leonor Furtado, said at the start of the discussion that the reorganization of the organization must “ensure that aid is appropriate, provided in a timely manner, with adequate means and rapid transportation to any hospital unit,” considering the geographic and population reality.
“We are an asymmetric country, with almost everything concentrated on the coast and the interior desertified, with an elderly population and very large territories. We have to take into account these access inequalities, especially in rural and interior areas, the articulation with hospitals and the need for inter-hospital transport,” said Leonor Furtado.
The counselor judge suggested for consideration “the advantages of adopting technological innovation,” “coordination and centralized control of resources,” as well as “interoperability with other entities,” particularly hospital units.
For Leonor Furtado, INEM’s commitment should be “properly oriented and directed towards serving the citizen.”
“In fact, we’re all at the service of the citizen, and this should be the focus of our reflection,” she emphasized.
The head of the ITC in INEM also highlighted the “importance of a robust triage system” which “has an effective impact on reducing activation rates and on the efficiency of the response system.”
The ITC was established by the Government to evaluate INEM’s operation and is expected to present a proposal for the institute’s organizational model by the end of the year.
This independent committee was appointed in March of this year with the aim of studying and framing INEM’s legal competencies, which operate directly under the Health Minister and have advocated for its reformation following a lack of human resources and alleged failures in public assistance.
