Emergency Technicians Union asks parliament to investigate INEM management

The President of the Union of Prehospital Emergency Physicians (STEPH), Rui Lazaro, asked this Wednesday the Assembly of the Republic to investigate the activities of the National Institute of Emergency Medicine (INEM), which he considers “harmful, so to speak.”

Rui Lázaro’s request was sent to the parliamentary committee on health, where it was examined following a request from the PSD, in which he warned of a shortage of emergency specialists in hospitals, reflected in the suspension of ambulances and a reduction in emergency medical care. countrywide.

Noting that there is “no evidence or any data” that leads us to think that there could be “collusion in favor of anyone,” Rui Lazaro said that what is happening is “harmful management, to say the least.”

“This can only be because all our money is wasted under this type of management, which we already criticized at the time we had conversations – and which we stopped having because he does not want – with President INEM [Luís Meira]who never knew how to answer us,” he emphasized

Thus, he stressed, “this is another argument to justify the fact that the Assembly of the Republic is actually investigating the leadership” of INEM.

At the hearing, Rui Lázaro expressed hope that the first government resignation in medical institutions would be the president of INEM, but expressed hope that this day would come “not because of the people who are there, but because of the answers that need to be given and that are not given.” , were given.”

He also warned of problems at INEM’s Emergency Center at the Centers for Urgent Patient Disposal (CODU), which is causing calls to be suspended.

“Often there are more than 50 calls on hold that have already passed through the 112 center and which INEM cannot answer precisely because of technical problems,” he warned.

Referring to the information he receives, the union leader noted that in Lisbon CODU, the largest in the country, calls on the 112 line are often answered by only four or five technicians, while the expected number will be between 25 and 30, and this is the situation , which he said must be reflected in the timing and response capabilities in the CODU.

He said CODU Porto had electronic air conditioning this morning, meaning 112 calls were not being received or were being received “intermittently.”

Regarding the number of emergency medical technicians, he added that INEM’s latest performance report indicated that for the resources currently available there should have been 1,480 workers.

“The last known public figure, until published by the INEM president, was barely above 900,” but the union says that despite the lack of official figures, around 700 will provide ambulance services, with many assigned to other services .

According to Rui Lázaro, there are several ambulances that “don’t even open due to lack of resources”, namely in the Center and Lisbon, with inoperability rates exceeding 70% and 90%.

The union president also warned that recent competitions to recruit more technical specialists were empty, and he attributes the high rate of dismissal of specialists (more than 40%) to “poor management of INEM” and “weak career activity.”

Rui Lázaro said the union met on Tuesday with the coordinator of the “task force” that is preparing the emergency medical plan, who warned him that “there will be no miracles this summer.”

In his opinion, the answer should be to evaluate his career and the need to “immediately begin the negotiation process.”

“There needs to be a financial signal, either through a review of remuneration or the inclusion of a risk premium for these specialists, to sharply reduce the refusal rate, but also to ensure that the competition already announced by the Minister 200 [técnicos] there may actually be candidates,” he said.

CN // FPA

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