The strike by the Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica (INEM), which had been scheduled for September 14 and 28, was called off after an agreement between the Union of Pre-Hospital Emergency Technicians (STEPH), the Ministry of Health and INEM itself. The negotiations focused on the reorganization of rescue resources and the demands of emergency medical professionals.
STEPH president Rui Lázaro confirmed that there were "concessions on both sides" during the discussions, with the understanding being reached this Friday, September 11, the date on which the union held a press conference to announce the agreement.
According to Rui Lázaro, the professionals had felt in the preceding months that their ethical and deontological principles were being called into question, which led to the triggering of the protest. The objective was to preserve the emergency response that INEM provides to citizens.
The agreement reached not only allows maintaining the current INEM emergency medical response, but also assumes commitments for its future reinforcement. Rui Lázaro considered that this day will be marked in the history of emergency medicine in Portugal.
