The president of the Sub-Regional Council of Vila Real of the Order of Doctors (OM), Fernando Salvador, expressed concerns regarding the health professionals serving at the VMER bases in Vila Real and Chaves.
“For years, the vehicles assigned to the VMER bases of Chaves and Vila Real have often had more than half a million kilometers and have been in service for over 10 years. These are vehicles that frequently encounter recurring technical problems, requiring intervention and frequent visits to the mechanic,” he explained in a statement to the Lusa agency.
Fernando Salvador emphasized that VMER vehicles operate in emergency mode frequently, hence the concern that “they can endanger the health professionals who serve in these vehicles and, consequently, affect the healthcare provided to populations, especially in critical and emergent situations that require rapid and agile response.”
In a statement, the OM of Vila Real had already noted that the “vehicles currently provided by INEM for this service are in a state of wear that is clearly incompatible with the demands and urgency of their mission.”
According to the OM, these are “vehicles with more than a decade of use, often with mileages exceeding half a million kilometers, subjected to frequent visits to the garage and temporary repairs that do not resolve the underlying issues.”
“Every month, there are breakdowns and trips to repair shops in Vila Real and Chaves due to the natural wear associated with intensive use and the challenging driving conditions,” it added.
Salvador asserted that these vehicles “are not suitable for emergency response” and emphasized the need for “replacement with new vehicles that have fewer kilometers and fewer years, with fewer recurring problems, to ensure and provide safety to the populations.”
The OM statement highlighted that “this situation does not seem uniform at the national level, being particularly concerning in the Interior North, where VMERs travel long distances on winding and mountainous roads.”
It reiterated that “offering recent and reliable vehicles should be a priority, in the name of the safety of professionals and the effectiveness of emergency medical response,” calling for a “swift and effective resolution of this issue.”
The Sub-Regional Council of Vila Real of the Order of Doctors also expressed solidarity with the recent petition by the professionals serving these VMERs, who reported this situation to the competent authorities.
Contacted by Lusa, a source from INEM confirmed the implementation of a multi-year plan to acquire vehicles between 2025 and 2027, aiming to renew its entire fleet at a cost of approximately 19.1 million euros.
For 2025, the plan includes the acquisition of 106 vehicles, of which 56 are ambulances and 36 are VMERs, with an estimated investment of 6.7 million euros.
