The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (ANTEM) on Saturday defended the dismissal of INEM's board of directors and the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry to address the “cascading failures” of the Integrated Emergency Medical Technician (SIEM) system.
ANTEM stated, in a statement, that the Board of Directors of the National Institute for Emergency Medical (INEM), headed by Luis Mira, “has not, for a long time, fulfilled the conditions necessary to lead the destinies of this public institute and maintain its efficiency.” “The mission, above all, is to preserve the health and lives of the Portuguese.”
For the association representing emergency medical technicians, INEM's board must resign “with immediate effect” to allow the Ministry of Health to “reestablish INEM.”
“Our days have been marked by the successive failures of the SIEM, failures that represent a threat to the health and life of the Portuguese. The state this public service has reached is very clear, a service that is essential for the rule of democratic law, for the health and life of the Portuguese,” the association reinforced.
ANTEM noted that INEM's president, Luis Mera, took up this situation at a parliamentary hearing in the Health Committee on June 4.
On that day, INEM's president admitted that the deterioration in service was “undeniable” and defended the need to strengthen the budget, claiming that the institute's funds accounted for only 1% of health spending.
In Parliament, Luis Mira stressed that he “does not cling to his position” as INEM president, and that if the Minister of Health decides to dismiss him, he will leave his position “without any problem.”
The next day, 5 June, also at a parliamentary hearing, the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, said that she was examining changes in INEM's leadership and considered it necessary to re-establish this body.
“If there is something that needs to be re-established, it is INEM. It is an absolutely fundamental dimension of health response capacity,” the minister said, noting that she had already met several times with the president of the institute, Luis Mira. Adding that the possibility of changing direction “is not against anyone, but in favor of INEM.”
In ANTEM's view, “Portugal and Portuguese people deserve and have access to a genuine emergency medical service.”
This association also advocated the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry “so that due responsibilities can be fully determined” regarding the failures of the SIEM, a system that integrates a group of entities that collaborate to provide assistance to victims of accidents or sudden illnesses, namely the PSP, the GNR, the firefighters, the Portuguese Red Cross, the INEM and the hospitals. And health centers.
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