Workers’ Commission denounces flaws in the new INEM system

Andm reported, the TC of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) refers to having received “Worried reports” of professionals on the operation of OnCall, whose failures “cover critical areas”, including the selection of relief facilities, the location of occurrences and available means and the indication of hospital units of destination.

” In view of the seriousness of the information, last Monday the Workers’ Committee sent an urgent request for clarification to the Board of Directors, questioning who validated the system, whether there were known errors before its implementation, how many anomalies have been reported and what measures have been taken. So far, we have not received an answer”, criticizes the representative structure of the INEM workers.

The CT also states that the INEM informed the firefighters and other partners of the Integrated Medical Emergency System (SIEM) that, since July 8, the activation of the ambulances affected to the Medical Emergency Stations (PEM) and the Reserve Posts became exclusively dependent on the information registered in the PEM Portal.

“INEM itself recognises that it is still optimizing the IT system of service and dispatch, while transferring to the entities full responsibility for updating the operational status of the means”, alert the commission.

The INEM CT maintains that these changes increase the risk that CODUs will receive “out-of-date or incorrect information” and available means will no longer appear as operating in the system.

“The president of the INEM has to clarify whether OnCall or the PEM Portal conditioned the selection of the medium, the location of the occurrence or the response provided, as well as explaining why the system was put into operation without all critical failures being resolved,” the CT argues.

A week ago the Union of Pre-Hospital Emergency Technicians (STEPH) had warned that the new CODU occurrence management system had collapsed, requiring the carrying out of paper screenings, accusations that INEM denied “categorically”.

In response to Lusa, the INEM ensured that the clinical and operational records were made “through the computer systems in use and there was no situation” that required the use of paper sorting.

“It is categorically false that (…) the CODU system has collapsed, that the screenings have been carried out on paper”, highlighted the institute, further pointing out that the INEM has a system of ‘call back’, which allows to recover interrupted or missed calls at the first attempt, “insuring their follow-up and contact with citizens”.