INEM workers denounce removal of 100 ambulances and threaten August strike as new law looms

The reorganization plan

On Friday, INEM president Luís Mendes Cabral confirmed in an RTP interview that 54 emergency medical ambulances (Ambulâncias de Emergência Médica) will be transferred to Local Health Units (ULS) and that the current 46 Immediate Life Support (SIV) ambulances will be converted into light vehicles, losing their ability to transport patients. Together, the two changes remove 100 vehicles from INEM's own operational fleet. The measure is tied to the new organic law of INEM, which takes effect on 1 August.

“If this decision is implemented, 54 emergency medical ambulances will be handed over to the ULS and 46 SIV ambulances will cease to be ambulances, losing the capacity to transport patients.”

Workers warn of strike

The Workers' Commission (CT) of INEM denounced the plan as a dismantling of the emergency medical device, stating that 71 municipalities, including Lisbon and Porto, would be affected. The commission argued that the move would increase pressure on firefighters and the Red Cross, creating "an increased risk" for users. Rui Lázaro, president of the Union of Pre-Hospital Emergency Technicians (STEPH), told JN that if the measure is not reversed, the union will launch "a series of significant protest actions already in August that could culminate in a strike." Lázaro described the fight as one "against the dismantling of one of the most essential goods of a society, which is medical emergency."

“If INEM does not reverse this measure, we will begin a series of significant protest actions already in August that could culminate in a strike.”

The union leader also called the entry into force of the new organic law "a golden opportunity" for the government to replace INEM's current board and halt the withdrawal of resources. "Nowhere in the world does reducing resources mean reinforcing the system," he said.

INEM rejects dismantling

In a statement to Lusa, INEM rejected any scenario of dismantling, insisting that "there is no dismantling of the emergency medical device, no removal of 100 ambulances from the operational device, or any reduction in response capacity for the populations." The institute said the eventual transfer of ambulance management to the ULS "does not imply the elimination of these means, which will continue to serve the populations and remain integrated in the national emergency medical device." Regarding the SIV conversion, INEM explained that it "results from the need to adjust the means to the mission of these teams, without any prejudice to care capacity, with transport ensured by the dedicated means of the Integrated Medical Emergency System (SIEM)."

“There is no dismantling of the emergency medical device, no removal of 100 ambulances from the operational device, or any reduction in response capacity for the populations. On the contrary, the objective is to reinforce the integration between pre-hospital emergency and hospital care.”

Political pressure and next steps

The workers are demanding that Health Minister Ana Paula Martins clarify whether she supports the reorganization. The CT statement urged the minister to either "confirm this option and fully assume its consequences" or use the new organic law to replace INEM's entire board. A general assembly of INEM workers is being scheduled for the first days of August, where union structures will be invited to define a common position and approve concrete measures. With the new law taking effect on 1 August, the coming days are likely to determine whether the government intervenes or the protest escalates into a strike.