Emergency technicians schedule strikes for September
Emergency medical technicians have announced a two-day strike for September 14 and 28 to protest the government's new organizational law for the National Institute of Medical Emergency (Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica or INEM). The union, STEPH, claims the reform will remove over 100 ambulances from the emergency system by transferring them to Local Health Units (Unidades Locais de Saúde or ULS), though the INEM president maintains that response capacity will remain unaffected.
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.
