INEM professionals will have to pay up to 500 euros for training. There may be conflicts of interest

New deliberation should once again undermine the popularity of the Minister of Health. INEM will require that basic certification be obtained from external entities — and the largest entity in the sector was founded by the current president of INEM.

The training of pre-hospital emergency professionals may be about to stop being, in part, a direct responsibility of INEM and also stop being free for those who enter the system.

A deliberation by the institute’s Board of Directors redefined and advanced the training model, removing from INEM’s portfolio several certified actions considered structuring for work in the field.

At stake are courses such as Transport Ambulance Crew (TAT) and Emergency Ambulance Crew (TAS), as well as basic, immediate and advanced life support modules (BLS, SIV and SAV), including Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).

INEM sources interviewed by the TSF argue that the decision is not limited to transferring instruction outside the institute: it could also mean that technicians, nurses and doctors, to be hired, start financing training out of their own pockets which until now were carried out free of charge at INEM.

In the case of ambulance crews, the intention is to deliver the training to the National Fire School. However, sector sources contacted by the radio rule out the hypothesis that corporations are the ones bearing the burden. Some of these courses can reach prices in the order of 500 euros per person and, until now, they were often paid through protocols established with INEM.

For health professionals who are part of teams with skills in SIV, ALS or trauma, the new model points to a separation of functions: INEM will provide training on operational protocols and internal procedures, but will require “basic” certification to be obtained from external entities with international recognition such as the Red Cross, polytechnic institutes and private companies.

And it is in this context that the TSF recalls that the Ocean Medical, company that presents itself as the largest in the sector in Portugal and holds several international certifications, was founded by the current president of INEM, Luís Cabralwho, according to the same information, resigned in 2012 to take on public duties in the Azores.

The TSF also states that Ocean Medical has been investigated by the Lisbon Public Prosecutor’s Office since 2024 on suspicion of too close relationships with INEM professionals. The institute guarantees, however, that it is only complying with recommendations from the Independent Technical Commission.