Workers' Commission reports failures in new INEM system

Saturday, 18 July 2026AI summary
Workers' Commission reports failures in new INEM system
Photo: expresso.pt

The Workers' Commission of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica or INEM) has denounced technical failures in the new OnCall computer system used by Urgent Patient Guidance Centres (Centros de Orientação de Doentes Urgentes or CODU). Staff warn that these glitches pose risks to the dispatching of emergency resources and have demanded immediate clarifications from the institute's board of directors. Additionally, the Ministry of Health is currently transitioning INEM toward a new training model that requires internationally recognized certifications for emergency professionals.

Update: Authorities correct exam grading errors following export failure

Education authorities, including the Institute of Education, Quality and Evaluation (Instituto de Educação, Qualidade e Avaliação or EduQA), admitted that a file export error caused incorrect secondary school exam grades to be posted on Friday. Schools received corrected files over the weekend, and officials confirmed that the 'suspended' status previously assigned to some students has been removed.

Context & Explainers

Minimum services (serviços mínimos) are the legally required basic services that must be maintained during a strike to protect public safety—in healthcare this typically covers emergency care, critical ambulance coverage and intensive care. They matter because the INEM workers' committee admitted that late or unclear communication about which teams would be available during the end-of-2024 strike may have reduced operational capacity and confused patients; as an expat, expect limited non-urgent care during strikes and check official updates or call 112 for true emergencies.

The CODU (Centro de Orientação de Doentes Urgentes) is the emergency medical dispatch center responsible for coordinating urgent pre-hospital care in Portugal. It operates under the National Institute of Medical Emergency (Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica or INEM) to assess medical emergencies and dispatch the appropriate resources, such as ambulances or helicopters.

The EduQA is the institute responsible for the design and management of national exams in Portugal. It oversees the creation of assessment materials and is currently under review following reports of errors in recent examination content.