Parliament approves commission of inquiry into INEM

Parliament today approved the creation of a commission of inquiry to investigate the political and management responsibilities of INEM in recent years, following a proposal presented by the Liberal Initiative (IL) bench.

The parliamentary inquiry into the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) was approved with votes in favor from the deputies of Chega, IL, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN and JPP and with abstentions from PSD, PS and CDS-PP.

According to the approved text, deputies have 90 days to determine the political, technical, contractual, legal and financial responsibilities related to INEM, including during the strike at the end of October and beginning of November 2024, as well as those related to the international public tender process for contracting emergency medical air transport.

A second point of the deliberation indicates that the parliamentary commission of inquiry (CPI) will “evaluate the relationship of the different political authorities with INEM and clarify the intervention of the XXII, XXIII, XXIV and XXV Constitutional Governments in their respective political and financial management”.

In Thursday's debate on this initiative, Liberal MP Joana Cordeiro considered that "the Portuguese have the right to know what is failing and to demand solutions that allow for improved functioning" of the medical emergency service, arguing that the hearings in the Health Committee on this matter were no longer enough and that "it was necessary to go further."

"What's happening with INEM is, in many ways, a reflection of what's happening in healthcare in Portugal," said the IL parliamentarian, adding that the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission "is not and should not be a partisan issue," given that it is a matter of public interest.

Regarding the consequences of the strike by INEM technicians at the end of 2024, Representative Miguel Guimarães, representing the PSD, argued that all reports from the ongoing investigations by the General Inspectorate of Health Activities (IGAS) should be awaited. "In this sense, this Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) is premature," he argued during the debate.

"But if the parties believe a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) is necessary to assess the neglect of the National Institute of Socialist Education (INEM) by the Socialist governments and compare it with the investment already made by the AD government, the PSD is not opposed," said the Social Democratic parliamentarian.

Mariana Vieira da Silva assured that the PS “is fully available” to assume all its responsibilities” from when it was in government and criticized the current AD executive for having “zero measures for INEM” in the emergency and health transformation plan that it approved in May 2024.

The former socialist minister also accused the Government of having decided, "by its own choice, not to open the tender" for the medical emergency helicopter service earlier, claiming that "eight months were wasted" and that this justifies the current situation of recourse to the Air Force.

On November 4, strikes by INEM pre-hospital emergency technicians and civil servants due to overtime resulted in delays in the emergency response and highlighted the lack of human resources at the institute.

Following the events related to the strikes, IGAS opened investigations to determine whether the deaths of 12 people were related to the alleged failures in care at the Urgent Patient Guidance Center (CODU).

Two investigations have already been closed because a direct link between the deaths and delays in providing assistance was not established, while a third process concluded that the death of a 53-year-old man in Pombal could have been avoided if he had been helped within a reasonable and minimum time.

Recently, the Government had to resort to the Air Force to guarantee emergency transport, a temporary solution given the impossibility of the company to which the service was awarded to begin operations on July 1st, as stipulated in the contract signed with INEM.