Latest news and stories about inem in government in Portugal for expats and residents.
Pre-hospital emergency technicians have called off their planned strike following a government agreement to reinforce INEM resources, including new SIV vehicles and a recruitment drive for 200 technicians.
The new organic law for Portugal's National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) replaces regional delegations with four dedicated CODU centers, a move facing criticism from emergency associations regarding operational efficacy.
Livre, the PCP, and the Left Bloc have formally requested a parliamentary review of the recently promulgated organic law concerning the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM).
CNN Portugal spent time inside CODU, INEM’s medical call centre in Lisbon and found a centre under sustained pressure where high call volumes demand rapid, accurate triage and careful deployment of ambulances and other rescue resources. The report examines how operators prioritise calls, the protocols guiding decision-making, and the operational strain of matching limited resources to urgent needs.
Currently, two parliamentary inquiries regarding INEM and forest fires are in the final stages.
Rui Lázaro says it is the wish of the “overwhelming majority” of INEM workers. Additionally, the death toll rises to 16 following Russian attacks in Kyiv this morning.
Carneiro accused Prime Minister Luís Montenegro of being “disconnected from reality,” criticising the lack of references to healthcare in his speech in Quarteira.
The Minister of Health suggested this Friday that there are “interests” on the part of the president of the Pre-Hospital Emergency Technicians Union when calling for the resignation of the president of the INEM. Rui Lázaro said he was surprised by the accusation and did not want to engage in the “delusions of government officials”.
Ana Paula Martins asks the union to “rethink” the decision. If the strike goes ahead, the Government will decree minimum services.
The union president regrets that sector representatives were not heard. He points out that the INEM board of directors is still in a caretaker capacity. He praises the higher education course for professionals but criticises its planning.
The new INEM statutes, published this Friday, abolish the regional delegations and create CODUs in Porto, Coimbra, Lisbon, and Loulé. They come into effect on Saturday.
INEM maintains its status as a public institute and the board of directors will now include four members instead of two, including a clinical director and a nursing director. Funding will now be mixed.
The decree removes the requirement for the Board of Directors to be chaired by a doctor, as the body will now include a clinical director and a nursing director.
The President of the Republic gives the green light to the institute's new organic law. The emergency technicians' union asks parties for a parliamentary review of the diploma that “will put many lives at risk”.
The Portuguese Firefighters League claims that emergency motorcycles show “very positive results” in providing aid to the population.
The commission of inquiry resumes its work with hearings for Dulce Salzedas, an aide in the Health Minister's office, and Miguel Ângelo Santos, the former coordinator of the INEM northern regional delegation.
Luis Montenegro guarantees that the party is doing well and downplays the criticism from Passos Coelho. Meanwhile, the Minister of Health dismissed the idea of recurring failures in emergency assistance by the INEM.
Pre-hospital emergency technicians will demonstrate on Wednesday in front of the Assembly of the Republic in a protest against the planned reorganization of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), the union revealed.
The Portuguese Firefighters League confirmed that the overdue debt of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) was paid in full today.
The PS claims the PSD is trying to 'hide' the former Secretary of State for Health Management, while Chega describes the move as 'dilatory tactics'. The chief of staff states that they also did not receive a strike notice.
The Portuguese Firefighters League reports delays of approximately 20 million euros. INEM justifies this with a lack of budget. The Minister of Internal Administration states that emergency services for the Portuguese people are not at risk.
At issue is a 20 million euro debt that led the Portuguese Firefighters League to terminate the cooperation agreement signed in 2025 with INEM for the provision of pre-hospital emergency services.
The former Minister of Health says the diversion of funds was for a “greater need, without which there would be no need for INEM because we would all be dead,” referring to the pandemic.
Luís Meira contradicted the Health Minister's statements, claiming to have sent at least two resolution proposals to the Council of Ministers. He also stated that he contacted the Air Force, which refused to collaborate due to a lack of resources and pilots.
The Pre-Hospital Emergency Technicians Union regrets the absence of Luís Cabral, who was just a few metres away from the venue.
The decision follows multiple complaints that were submitted to the Inspector‑General of Health. Luís Cabral, originally from the Azores, arrived in Lisbon to take up his post as president of INEM at the end of last year.
The acquisition of 163 ambulances, 34 VMER emergency medical response vehicles and 78 other vehicles — 275 vehicles in total — was announced in Parliament by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.
The Shared Services Entity of the Public Administration (ESPAP) has awarded the procurement of 275 vehicles for INEM to three economic operators, following the public tender launched last year, a government source told Lusa today.
The Socialists, who describe the announcement of the purchase of INEM ambulances as “misleading” and “a sign of this government's inaction”, justify their request for the documents by citing the “urgency of obtaining answers”.
The Socialist Party parliamentary group wants access to all documents relating to the procurement process for ambulances for INEM, citing the “opacity of the information shared”, according to a motion submitted today.
