The overtime strike of the INEM pre-hospital emergency technicians began last Wednesday and lasted until this Thursday; The strike was interrupted after the union that represents these professionals was urgently summoned to the Ministry of Health and a negotiation protocol was drawn up. It was agreed to review careers and salaries.

The strike further complicated a situation that was already critical due to the insufficient number of technicians at the institute, as the tutelage itself had already recognized. The strike caused dozens of calls to 112 to accumulate on the Internet, with waiting times that, in some cases, exceeded half an hour. During the long weekend, the technicians union (STEPH) reported two deaths, which it attributed to delays in attention and activation of emergency services. The Government reacted by requesting an internal audit from the INEM to evaluate the circumstances of the deaths.

There were five other deaths, all last Monday, the same day that the INEM recorded the lowest number of calls answered in more than a decade. The cases occurred from the north to the south of the country, with similar reports of unanswered calls. In several of these situations, Other means, such as the firefighters or the PSP itself, ended up intervening.

The INEM reacted to the cases by acknowledging that the strike is creating difficulties in “providing emergency care to citizens,” but guaranteeing that “it is implementing contingency measures to face this moment of greatest embarrassment.” In one of the cases, in the Algarve, the INEM confirmed that it had “recorded an attempt to contact the Urgent Patient Guidance Center (CODU) of the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM) at 11:03, and the call It was not immediately responded” and ended up “disconnected at origin”; That is, in this case, there was no response from 112 to the distress call.

Braganza | October 31

The first death was recorded in Bragança, on the second day of the strike. Rui Lázaro, president of STEPH, said that a woman tried to call 112 during more than an hourwithout being attended to: the husband suffered cardiac arrest. When the call was finally answered and the medical vehicle arrived at the scene, the man had already died. Death was declared at the scene.. Rui Lázaro stated that the ambulance was only two minutes away. If the call had been answered, “the outcome of the situation could have been different.”

Tondela | November 2

Two days later, a 94-year-old woman went into cardiac arrest. A family member started calling 112 at 9:34 a.m., but the call was not transferred to the Urgent Patient Orientation Center (CODU) at approximately 10:19 a.m. 45 minutes later. To the Observer, the INEM clarified that this delay was not due to the service of line 112, but rather to the transfer to clinical screening at the CODU. The woman was taken to Lamego hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Casserole Velha | November 4

Most of the deaths occurred this Monday. In the Algarve, a 77-year-old man was found by his family after falling from his bicycle. He was still conscious. Four relatives allegedly tried to call 112 during 1:40 am, no response. It ended up being a neighbor who contacted the Vila Real de Santo António Firefighters, who activated the INEM. When the ambulance arrived at the scene, the man was already unconscious, in cardiorespiratory arrest.

New Sales | November 4

Further north, in Vendas Novas, a 73-year-old man felt unwell and tried to call 112 for help. More than 40 minutes until he responds.Correio da Manhã reports. In this case, it was also the local firefighters who directly activated the INEM. The man ended up dying at home, without medical assistance.

Almada | November 4

In the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, a 70-year-old woman felt uncomfortable in court, where she was giving statements in a domestic violence case. The judicial services tried to contact the INEM for an hour and a half, no response. In this case, it was not the firefighters, but the PSP itself who took the elderly woman to the García de Orta Hospital, where she ended up dying the next day.

Vide Castle | November 4

At around 12:30 p.m., an elderly woman felt unwell in the cafeteria of a nursing home in Castelo de Vide. Two calls were made to 112, but it was not until 1:50 p.m. that an ambulance arrived; In this case, the firefighters were also contacted. After a hour and a half After resuscitation maneuvers, carried out by one of the home’s nurses, the woman was transferred to the Portalegre hospital in cardiorespiratory arrest, where she was declared dead.

Ansiao | November 4

At 10:13 p.m. on the same day, a 95-year-old man fainted at home. The woman alerted the neighbors who then 28 minutes waiting After being attended to by 112, they went directly to the local fire station. In this case, it was also members of the corporation who called an ambulance. When emergency services arrived at the victim’s home, she had already died and was declared dead at the scene, Público reports.