Luís Mendes Cabral
Doctor Luís Mendes Cabral begins his role as president of INEM on Tuesday, replacing military officer Sérgio Janeiro, who has been in office since July 2024.
“Luís Cabral and António de Eça Pinheiro begin their duties tomorrow, November 4th, as president and member of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Medical Emergency [INEM]respectively”, the Ministry of Health told Lusa.
The competition for president of INEM was opened in January this year, but was interrupted due to early elections in May, with Sérgio Janeiro remaining in the position, who had been appointed in July 2024 on a 60-day replacement basis.
Under the terms of the Management Personnel Statute, appointment to senior management positions cannot occur between the call for elections for the Assembly of the Republic and the parliamentary investiture of the new Government.
The process for choosing the new president of INEM opened on January 6th and ended on the 19th of the same month, after a first competition that did not have enough candidates.
Who is Luís Mendes Cabral
Specialist in urgent and emergency medicineLuís Mendes Cabral, 46 years old, was until now clinical director of the Regional Civil Protection Service and firefighters of Azoreswhere he was also a regulatory and training doctor.
It was part of the air evacuation team at the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, on Ilha Third.
He was anesthesiologist in several hospitals on the mainland and in the Azores.
Assumed the functions of regional secretary of health of the socialist government of Azores between 2012 and 2016.
Previously it had been INEM helitransport service doctor and doctor regulator of the urgent patient guidance center (CODU) of the institute.
António de Eça Pinheiro has a degree in Agrarian Economics and Rural Sociology from the University of Arizona and the University of Connecticut, in the United States of America. He served as member of the board of directors of MM, Gestão Partilhada, as well as member of the board of directors of several local health units.
Refoundation of INEM
Luís Cabral takes office at a time when INEM is undergoing a transformation, with the Government announcing the review of its organic lawafter the lack of human resources to help the population became evident, following a strike by pre-hospital emergency technicians.
Contracting the emergency air transport service was another complex process, as the company that won the public tender did not begin 24-hour operations with four helicopters on July 0, as stipulated in the contract.
In order for this service not to be interrupted, INEM was forced to make a direct agreement with the same company, which provided more limited resources, also counting on the support of the Air Force.
