The government attended an event on Thursday at Air Base No. 8 in Ovar, Aveiro district, for the presentation of the second Air Force helicopter capable of operating 24 hours a day in both daytime and nighttime missions, equipped with a state-of-the-art medical emergency kit.
Present were the Ministers of Health and Defense, Ana Paula Martins and Nuno Melo, respectively. The Health Minister has faced criticism due to ongoing challenges in the sector, including delays in emergency responses, prompting calls for her resignation. In Aveiro, Ana Paula Martins assured that Portugal possesses “the necessary resources” for air transport operations and mentioned that the procurement process for rescue helicopters, although delayed, is now underway and expected to be completed by September.
“The bidding process took longer than we anticipated (…) I humbly acknowledge that we could have launched the process sooner,” the Minister admitted.
The Health Minister, Ana Paula Martins, asserted that Portugal “has the necessary resources” for situations requiring air transport and criticized existing bureaucracy.
When questioned by Lusa, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force clarified that the helicopter presented today is expected to begin 24-hour operations in about a week.
“This will not be 24 hours starting today. Now that it’s been equipped, it will begin operations gradually. We’ve been at this for a week,” explained General Cartaxo Alves.
The Air Force Chief of Staff highlighted the “tremendous effort” by the Air Force to support the country during this period when medical emergency services are expanding until September 30, noting that several military personnel had to postpone their vacations.
“At present, during the day, the country has far more resources than in the past. It already has two INEM helicopters, four more Air Force helicopters, and two airplanes. At night, the Air Force has two H24 aircraft and one helicopter in Montijo (…) We will gradually increase resources, but INEM helicopters will also be arriving, adding more helicopters to the operations at night,” he said.
