Lisbon's emergency services expand with 12 new medical response units tonight
Lisbon's emergency services expand with 12 new medical response units tonight
INEM Announces Expansion of Emergency Ambulances in Lisbon
Lisbon's emergency services expand with 12 new medical response units tonight
Portugal's National Medical Emergency Institute (INEM) has announced a significant increase in the number of emergency ambulances operated by firefighters in Lisbon, expanding from the current six to 18 by the end of April.
A source from the institute told Lusa News Agency that, starting Tuesday, the city's emergency response capacity will be "substantially strengthened" with the opening of new Emergency Medical Posts (PEM), based at volunteer fire stations.
These PEM units are emergency ambulances integrated into the Integrated Medical Emergency System (SIEM), managed by INEM in partnership with firefighters and the Portuguese Red Cross.
"In the first phase, 12 posts will be activated, entering service from midnight tonight, with a gradual expansion to 18 posts by the end of April," the source confirmed.
According to INEM, this expansion is part of a strategic reorganization of basic life support (BLS) resources, aimed at bringing emergency response closer to the population, improving territorial coverage, and reducing response times to incident sites.
The addition of more ambulances will enable "greater reach of the medical emergency network", ensuring a stronger presence in densely populated urban areas and enhancing faster, more effective responses, the institute emphasized. These PEM units will operate in direct coordination with INEM, guaranteeing a streamlined response.
One of the key aspects of this initiative, INEM noted, is the integration of previously reserve posts into a stable funding model, based on fixed subsidies provided by the institute.
"This change will allow for the formation of permanent teams, strengthen operational readiness, and ensure better predictability in resource management," the institute stated, adding that ambulances will now be dispatched directly by the Urgent Patient Dispatch Centers (CODU), replacing the previous system.
"This shift will enable more agile and efficient management of available resources, reducing intermediaries in the dispatch process," the source highlighted.
In parallel with the ambulance expansion, INEM will also adjust the deployment of medical emergency ambulances (AEM), aligning their distribution and schedules with staffing availability and operational demand.
The same source also told Lusa that two recruitment drives have been launched to build a reserve of nurses, creating 83 new positions to further bolster the medical emergency system's response capacity.