The management of INEM, namely the outgoing president Luís Meira and the member of its board of directors, risk paying a fine of between 2,550 and 18,360 euros for having extended the direct adjustment to keep the Medical Emergency Helicopter Service (SHEM) operating, after the Court of Auditors said it would not give the green light to the contract under the same terms, writes the “Jornal de Notícias” (JN) this Wednesday.
Luís Meira, who resigned following the controversy over the renewal of the contract for the helitransport of patients, involving the government, admitted to JN that he was aware of the risk in moving forward with the signing of the second direct adjustment. “The alternative was to be left without helicopters, which was unthinkable, so we took this decision”, he argued.
Given the possibility of being held personally responsible for the financial infraction, the doctor states that, if the refusal of the visa by the Court of Auditors is confirmed, he will “obviously” present his defense, since he considers that “the responsibility lies exclusively with the Ministry of Health”.
INEM may appeal the decision, with the appeal being assessed by a panel of three judges, the court explained to JN. On the other hand, if the visa is refused, the “contract cannot produce effects”, that is, SHEM will have to suspend its activity.
The country has four helicopters for pre-hospital transport: two 24-hour helicopters in Macedo de Cavaleiros and Loulé and two daytime helicopters in Viseu and Évora
Mario John
Luís Meira will be heard this afternoon at the Parliamentary Health Committee, where he will have the opportunity to show the documentation that proves the “insistent” requests for a solution to the guardianship, which have never received a response.
In the beginning of the month, Expresso reported that the Ministry of Health ignored successive requests from INEM to respond to the proposed solutions regarding emergency helicopters. The case led to a public exchange of accusations, with the Ministry of Health criticizing the institute for having allowed the deadline for launching the international public tender to expire, requiring a new direct adjustment.
The president of INEM would eventually resign, with Vítor Almeida being appointed in his place, who was only in office for one week on a replacement basis. According to the doctor, he told TSFthe guardianship did not accept the conditions that it considered necessary to lead the institute, namely “a reinforcement from a financial point of view”.
Following his departure, the Government decided to appoint Sérgio Agostinho Dias Janeiro, lieutenant colonel, specialist in internal medicine and director of the Internal Medicine Service of the Armed Forces Hospital, as president, “on a 60-day replacement basis, due to a vacancy in the position”
Source: expresso.pt
