“I find it regrettable that after so many episodes where the failures are clear, where the INEM is not functioning and the problem is not being treated with due concern, the Minister still believes she can continue,” responded Livre MP Filipa Pinto to journalists in parliament.
In the findings of the inquiry reviewed by Lusa, the Inspectorate-General of Health Activities (IGAS) concluded that a patient who died of a heart attack in Bragança in October, after INEM took 1:20 to arrive, might have survived if assistance had been immediate, but does not blame the workers.
Regretting this death, Livre’s deputy argued, “it is not enough to merely regret a death,” reiterating that “political responsibilities” must always be assumed whenever there are deaths.
“There are several cases and reports of INEM’s system deficiencies, and the Government seems to be turning a deaf ear to this issue, which is also a worrying situation for us,” she condemned.
The spokesperson for PAN, Inês de Sousa Real, also expressed “deep regret” that the Health Minister “remains shielded and has not assumed her political responsibilities in light of the various cases that have occurred,” stating she views the situation with “much consternation.”
“What is happening at INEM is too serious for there not to be political consequences, and the IGAS report makes that very clear,” she considered, also urging the Government to implement a PAN measure, approved in the State Budget, to reinforce INEM with an additional 400 technicians.
Meanwhile, PCP’s parliamentary leader, Paula Santos, considered that this situation shows that the Government is not doing what is necessary to resolve the issues at INEM, calling for an increase in the institute’s human and technical resources to ensure assistance and emergency services to the population, without demanding the Health Minister’s resignation.
“Ministers can be replaced, but what really needs to be changed is the policy because if ministers are replaced to do the same, the problems will continue. Therefore, what is truly necessary is, indeed, a different political approach,” she argued.
In the findings of the inquiry reviewed by Lusa, the Inspectorate-General of Health Activities (IGAS) states that the patient, aged 86, who died of a myocardial infarction on October 31, 2024, during the strike of pre-hospital emergency technicians, had a chance of survival, albeit reduced.
This survival probability “would always be conditional on the performance of basic life support maneuvers when initiated immediately.”
The patient in question had various comorbidities and a history of significant cardiovascular disease.
Despite the lack of a timely response from INEM, IGAS states that “it is not possible to formulate judgments of culpability regarding the conduct of the CODU [Urgent Patient Operational Center] workers, given the volume of calls waiting, redirected by the 112 Line.”
